Jack Frost and the Angel
by Kat-the-perfectionist
Summary: Jack Frost befriends a girl one winter day, and little does he know that their future is full of adventure, fear, and a growing love for one another. JFXR
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : ** After watching Rise of the Guardians, I was inspired to write a story about Jack and what could've happened after the movie. Maybe he meets a girl? Seemed to me like he needed someone a little less... enthusiastic that the Tooth Fairy. She seemed a little crazy or somethin to me. This is for people who think I'm stealing the copyrights to the movie: I DON'T OWN IT!

PROLOGUE

My new home smelled of pine trees and mountain air. The house was freezing without the furnace burning wood from the snowy forest surrounding the property. When I first moved in, I remembered the calm blanket of silence that smothered noise so perfectly. You could only hear the murmur of snowflakes colliding with the white ground. Then, as if the forest finally accepted my arrival, new sounds greeted my willing ears. Calls from cardinals and robins accompanied the sun as it hauled and stretched its pastel hues across the dawn sky. When the brilliant beam of the moon cast atop the trees and snow in the evening, the sorrowful cries of wolves lulled my mind to rest.

The sounds of the forest were my only company then, since my cabin was so remote. The closest town was 72 miles away. But I was happy with my choice to move into the wilderness, because I had been even more alone in a crowded city, as impossible as that may sound. I had no parents, and lived at an orphanage the majority of my life. As soon as I turned 16, I packed up my belongings and left after speaking with my ward. My parents had left a small, wood box to my name. In it was a picture of the three of us. Happy and a real family. There was also a legal document entrusting 184 acres to land in the northern mountains to my name. There was a cabin on the property as well. The last thing in the box was access to my own bank account, which had $984,000 deposited. I was set finacially for a while.

Before moving out to the cabin, I ensured that it was self sustainable. I grew my own food, and had my own water supply from a small pump inside. I also modernized it by adding a TV, refrigerator, Dutch oven and microwave. I like cooking, so sue me. I also brought some supplies to last the winter. The roads would be dangerous to travel into town on. After everything was set in place, I hunkered down for what I expected to be a long, boring winter.

I couldn't have been more mistaken.

**A/N : **Hope this sets the stage for you. Jack will be making an entrance soon. Please tell me what you think, and feel free to offer writing advice. Or any developments that you would like to see. I'll be writing more, and I check this everyday. ~Kat


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : **Thanks for reading my story you guys! And here I was thinking "psh, no one will EVER read this." It means so much to me! And Dancing Shadows Alchemist (legit name by the way) thanks for reviewing! And you too randomface. :D

On with it!

Chapter 2 

The pale light of the moon shone into my dim loft. The lacy patterns on my quilt cast intricate shadows across my bed. After wiggling my toes, a habit that I had developed to keep them warm, I landed noiselessly on the wooden floor. I padded softly on bare feet over to the square, sole window in the loft. From it I could see the serene, pearlescent landscape below. The moon's peaceful face seemed to smile at me from above the pale, black sky.

I was having trouble sleeping anyway, and pulled on my furry, brown boots as I closed the heavy oak door behind me. Sparkling snow reflected the moon's brilliant light back into the sky, illuminating the landscape eerily. I looked back at my dark cabin and decided to take a short walk in the forest to make myself tired. Walking along the edge I peered into the mysterious trees, caked with fresh snow. I wasn't feeling quite tired enough, or so I told myself, so I edged closer to the treeline and finally decided on taking a small journey into the forest. What else was there to do, sleep?

Each step rewarded my ears with a satisfying 'crunch' as I broke the brittle, icy frosting underfoot. It was the only noise in the deafening silence, and I felt like an outsider, like I had in the orphanage. Pondering this newfound irony, I ventured deeper into the forest, curiosity fueling every step, until I stumbled (literally) onto a discovery.

A giant pond, nearly the size of a small lake, reflected the rays of the moon like a diamond with a thousand facets (it looked like Edward was sprayed down with glitter glue and shoved out into the sun, ok?). It was frozen through solid, and I could see its continuing depth from the deepening hues of dark blue furthest from the icy shell. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, besides my mother. I stood in wonder at the peaceful bliss of everything, lost in the moment. I felt happy, like I belonged here in the forest, despite my earlier revelation.

The air was calm, but suddenly a burst of violent, frigid air hit my body squarely, pushing me back. My teeth chattered uncontrolably, my face flushed from the chill, and I shivered involuntarily. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I felt like I was being watched, possibly even being stared at. I had a hunter's instict, something I inherited from my father, and also his smile I was told. But I didn't want to turn around, because I had left my bow at the cabin. A stupid mistake. I had no weapon besides myself. Curiosity won out against logic again however, and I turned on my heel easily on the ice. Nothing threatening appeared out of the now foreboding wall of evergreens. It seemed as if they were withholding something from me, like how the police officer and my ward had years back in the city.

**A/N : **That was sooo fun to write! And hopefully fun to read for you guys! When I described the pond as sparkly, Edward and his sparkles pushed their way to the front of my mind, so sorry. Usually I write seriously about everything, but I had to say that. :D Found it amusing, no? Ah well, please tell me what you think so far! I love constructive criticism also! I'm aware that I'm not a college level writer (I'm a sophomore in highschool), so... Ya. That's all I got. Thanks again you 2 awesome people! I do love me some reviews! XD haha enough illiteracy. Have a good one! New chapter in the making! Almost done... :D


	3. Chapter 3

******A/N : **Thank you all for reviewing! They made my day and helped motivate me to write more. :) Here it is!

Chapter 3

Under my warm covers, I stared at the ceiling. Each panel of wood was full of detail, begging me to draw it in my journal. I ignored the soundless wood, and shifted my gaze over to the window. The sun's rays lit my room, and my old fashioned alarm clock (kind with the ring that would scare even frickin Batman awake) read 9:14AM. I threw both feet onto the floor and merrily bounded down the stairs. I slung my ice skates, my bow and quiver, and my gamebag full of lunch over my shoulders. I planned on tracking back to the pond I had found last night, and possibly practicing my bow and arrow shooting, as well as trying out ice skating for the first time.

The trees encircling the pond were all covered in sparkling frost. Last night it had frozen well below zero, a little unusual considering that the drop in temperature happened gradually around here. Sitting on a slippery ice-coated log (the snow was far too cold to sit in), I laced up my white skates, blades showing my reflection and glinting in the sun. They reminded me of some sort of samurai sword that people always pulled out dramatically in movies. Instead of laughing at my thoughts though, I just blew out more air than usual from my nose. The cold vapor looked like smoke, and prompted me to think of a Chinese dragon jouncing and weaving about in a parade. With a samurai riding its back. That time I laughed out loud, for the first time in a while. It felt nice.

At last, I stood cautiously, testing my balance and footing. It felt bizarre. I scooted and scuttled precariously perched on thin blades of metal towards the nearest bank of ice. My bladed foot caught the ice, made a groove, and glided along without much care for the wishes of the rest of my body. The feeling of being observed returned, and I instinctively whirled around to face the treeline, throwing caution to the wind. Lo and behold, I slipped and landed painfully on my back in the process. I looked up in surprise, because it seemed as if the trees were laughing at me. They swayed and shook, personifications of pure amusement. I tilted my head and looked at them in puzzlement. Did I get a concussion? They stopped all at once, and stood unmoving, ancient and frozen. Like trees should. It was as if a condescending general had entered the barracks of his unruly recruits, his presence demanding that they form a uniform line of army green before him. Concussion or not, I was determined to ice skate. I directed my attention back to the pond, and got to my feet.

Everytime I thought that I was making progress, a gust of wind blew me sideways into the ice. I was sure that my sides and elbows were turning black and blue by the 12th time I had fallen. But I picked myself up and tried again, my face set in a mask of determination. I wasn't going home until I could skate, and skate well. Unfortunately for me, the wind had other plans.

I was finally doing well, skating in wide arcs, when an icy burst of wind hit me in the face, much like the wind from the night before. I fell backwards and landed hard for a second time on my back. The air was knocked out of my lungs, and I laid there, waiting for crisp life to inflate them again. The wind rushed into them, without much effort on my part. I didn't even have to inhale. I felt defeated. I had always considered myself a quiet, peaceful person, but this fall was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Still lying on the ice, legs and arms sprawled out, I screamed in fury at the entire forest. The terrifying sound carried across the pond easily, and scattered birds in the distant treeline. As they flew away, happy and free, I lay there on my back, feeling as though I weighed a thousand pounds. I closed my eyes and swallowed my pride. But I forgot to swallow my tears. A couple rolled slowly down my face, and froze after cooling in the now soft wind. They came from years of sorrow and pain that had finally been uncaged. I stopped crying and sat up. I was freezing, and began murmuring a song my parents used to sing to myself out loud, paused, then actually softly sung it. There was no one around to hear it anyway. I recalled the memory of Christmastime, and let myself believe every word, every ounce of the song.

"Chestnuts... Roasting on an open fire..."

I closed my eyes, felt a new sense of coldness seep through my jacket, and continued the song.

**N/A : **You all know the next line, but if you don't, just look up the lyrics to The Christmas Song. It's a classic. :D Jack's about to make an appearance!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N : **This chapter is... Not that great I think. I'm having a hard time transitioning from one part of my big idea for this to the bigger, better part. Think of this as a crappy little run down bridge that leads you to a really awesome place... of awesomeness. :/ ok. Here we go! (haha I'm a loser, that's a Mario reference XD )

Chapter 4

"...Jack Frost... Nipping at my nose..."

The wind swirled my hair across the ice. With eyes still closed, I sang the next verse.

"Yuletide carols being sung by a choir..."

I paused, took a deep breath, and continued.

"And folks dressed up like Eskimos."

I laid back down on the ice, eyes shut and at peace. I sensed that someone was listening to me though, and became embarrassed, but dismissed it as impossible. I was alone out here on the pond. Like I had always been alone. It seemed to be a constant in my life.

"That was a nice song. My favorite part was the bit about me nipping at your nose, though."

My startled eyes flew open in shock as I shrunk back in surprise at the lower voice. It must have come from the strange hooded boy sitting on the pond crosslegged. How did he get this far out onto the pond without me hearing him? I can't even close my eyes for 2 seconds...

"What the... How did you... No, _where _did you... Look, who are you?!"

I was mostly stunned, but a tad angry as well. I owned the land he was trespassing on, and I sure was curious as to exactly how he had gotten this far past the fence. Then he spoke from beneath the hood over his head.

"So, just to be clear, you _can _see me, right?"

I gave him an incredulous stare before replying with the obvious answer.

"Yes. Are you crazy or something? Of course I can see you!"

I stood up and inched away, suspecting that the boy _was _actually crazy. I mean come _on._ Who just asks people they've just met if they can _see _them? The boy grinned and continued the one-of-a-kind conversation.

"Oh. Well now that that's cleared up-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Chill dude. Answer my question. Who. Are. You?"

A silence passed between us. The hood concealed everything but his mouth and nose. He seemed to be gathering up his courage or something from the anxious frown he wore. Then he finally smirked.

"I'm Jack Frost. Who're you?"

My eyebrows rose in unison. Was he serious? _Definitely crazy then. _It was my turn to smirk.

"You've got to be kidding me. Jack Frost, huh?"

The boy bowed like a gentleman and spoke with sincerity.

"The one and only."

I took it all in. Crazy guy claiming to be a Jack Frost. On _my_ land. No shoes. Bare feet. Thin, brown pants cut off at the calves. The blue hoodie was the warmest thing he had. He also had a beautiful staff shaped like a sheppard's crook resting across his shoulders. I vaguely wondered where he had gotten it. I wanted to make eye contact with him, but the stupid hood covered his eyes.

"Hey, take off your hood..."

The boy shrugged his shoulders a bit, then grasped the hood with his free hand and pulled it back. His shaggy, snow-white hair surprised me. He didn't look old. Heck, he looked my age. Bright, blue eyes looked across the ice into mine expectantly. He was quite handsome. But I quickly reminded myself that he was crazy as well. Recalling his odd clothing, I spoke.

"Um, aren't you cold? You're barefoot. It's like you're asking for frostbite."

He playfully rolled his eyes and kept that smirk glued to his face.

"Do I look cold to you? And now _you _have to answer _my _question."

If this new development wasn't enough, I was still in disbelief that this guy wasn't missing toes from the below-zero temperature. I decided to answer his question anyways.

"Fine. I'm _."

He reached out his hand towards me, and I reluctantly shook it. His hand was the temperature of an ice sculpture, and I hadn't expected it. How was he living like that?

"Nice to meet you, _."

"You too?"

I quickly reclaimed my hand from the cold. He smiled, laughed, and looked at the ice.

"You don't believe a single word I've said."

He looked up, eyes shining dangerously, daring me to deny what he had said. I decided to try my luck anyways. I could take him.

"Well, I think you're borderline crazy. For wearing _that _in _this _weather, and for claiming to be-"

"Jack Frost?"

I stared back into his eyes, challenging him to prove his claim. He continued.

"At least you're honest."

He smiled triumphantly as my jaw hit the ice. It couldn't be possible. He was... hovering over the pond, feet in mid-air. His laughter rang out in reaction to my astonished face. I blinked several times, stared some more, looked him up and down, and stood in awe.

"This isn't possible... How?"

Maybe I was dreaming.

"I already told you, I'm Jack Frost. Try and keep up _."

He touched his staff to the pond's frozen surface, and beautiful arms of frost spiraled outwards towards my skates. I looked up at him.

"You're for real, aren't you?"

He flew over to me.

"Yes. You believe in me, don't you?"

His blue eyes searched my face. I was confused.

"Well, no. Not since I was a little girl."

He seemed a little hurt. Then I realized something. The _song!_

"But when I sang the song about you-"

"You believed long enough for me to appear. And now that I'm standing here, you have no choice but to believe in me."

He nodded his white head, agreeing with himself, hair shimmering.

"Usually... only younger kids see me. You understand. No one your age does anymore."

He seemed excited to have met someone close to his year. I stood quietly, my mind having a WW3 with itself. Is it possible...? No, of course not! But... He's right here! He just demonstrated supernatural abilities, and you're still not convinced? Now who's acting illogical? I mentally sighed and looked back up at Jack.

"So, Jack, how old are you anyways?"

I couldn't believe that I was allowing myself to accept Jack for who he claimed to be.

"18. For like, I don't know... A couple centuries? What about you?"

I found his eagerness amusing... And... As much as I hated to admit it, kinda cute.

"I'm 17. For 1 year."

He laughed at that. I found myself smiling again. He cleared his throat and spoke up.

"So, I saw you skating earlier. Well I guess I was kinda watching you skate earlier. Anyways. I noticed that you took quite the beating."

I blushed from embarrassment, but managed to look him in the eye. He continued.

"Well, er... That was sorta my fault. See, I command the wind and stuff, so that was me knocking you down."

He locked his eyes on the ice apologetically, avoiding my gaze, seeming to be begging for forgiveness and truly embarrassed at what he had done. His hands wrung his staff nervously.

**N/A : **Ok so it wasn't THAT bad I guess. It was acceptable. Anyways, I've got big plans for you and Jack. It's gonna be awesome. Tell me what you think of me just leaving a blank for your name to be inserted. Effective? Confusing? Tell me :) really... I'm for real right now. Click that review button. No one's stoppin ya. No lie brosky. Too far? Ok. Bye. :P


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : ** Wolf Girl: the song's name is "The Christmas Song" :)

Chapter 5

"You jerk! Why'd you do that to me?! I've never ice skated in my life!"

I punched him half-seriously and half-jokingly on the arm. His gaze finally lifted to my face.

"Because, I like to mess around with people, pull pranks. It's my nature. But I really am sorry about the last fall you took. I didn't hurt you, right?"

His eyes widened at me, wanting to know the truth. I told it.

"Well, ya. You kinda did, Jack."

His face turned red from embarrassment and he quickly dropped his head again. I could see how uncomfortable he was, withstanding my gaze, so I told the rest of the truth.

"But I forgive you... It's ok. You were just playing around. Nothing to worry about. No harm do-"

"Look, _, you don't know who I was... I almost hurt someone I cared about really bad messing around on the ice... And... I just can't believe that I let myself put you in danger after what happened to my-"

"Jack. I'm fine, ok? You didn't hurt me that bad."

I rubbed my lower back without thinking and winced visibly.

"Yes I did! Look! Your back is still hurting from that fall! I can't believe how stupid-"

"Jack."

I carefully stepped closer to him. He looked up at me.

"Could you show me how to ice skate?"

His eyes dulled for a moment, probably recalling a distant memory. He looked worried.

"Well... Yes. I could. But I don't think that this is-"

"Nothing's gonna happen to me. You'll be there to help. I need to learn _sometime._ Come on. Please?"

I grinned, trying to reassure him that it was perfectly safe out here. He seemed to be deep in thought. Then he raised his staff, touched it to the icy surface and held it there. I could hear a strange, crunching sound come from under the pond. The staff glowed blue in certain places. He was concentrating. I looked down, and realized that the dark hues of blue were turning lighter and lighter. He was freezing the pond through solid, until there was no liquid water left. I gave him a puzzled look.

"Are you that afraid of falling through? You could just fly out. There was already a foot of ice anyways."

The staff slowly stopped glowing until it was back to its wooden brown color. I never would've thought of Jack as being the serious type, but he sure was demonstrating it now.

"I'm trying to protect you, _. I once thought that the ice was thick enough. But I was wrong, so I'm just trying to be on the safe side for once in my life."

When he finished his explanation, he looked intently at me. I could tell that he wanted to say more.

"Jack, what happened to you?"

He sighed, looked down at the ice, looked back up at me and told me his story.

"A long time ago, before I was Jack Frost, I had a family. A little sister."

I nodded, and realized what he was saying. He used to be human.

"One day, a pond near our house froze. I decided to take my sister out to it to show her how to ice skate. Her name was Pippa. That was 328 years ago. The ice looked fine. I went out onto it, and she followed me. I should've tested it more before telling her that it was safe. It cracked where she was standing, and I had to use this-"

He lifted his staff up a couple inches to indicate it.

"to save her. At the time, it was just an ordinary branch. I used the end to scoop her up and switched places with her accidentally."

My eyes widened.

"She was fine. But I fell through the ice into the pond... And...drowned."

My mouth was slightly open, and puffs of white smoke escaped as my breathing became uneven. My eyes were pricking sharply, and my vision blurred.

"I died, and then I woke up after floating to the top of the pond. It was nighttime, and there was a full moon. The Man in the Moon told me that I was Jack Frost, and was a Guardian. I found the branch, now a staff. It gave me control over the wind, the cold. Everything about winter."

He stopped speaking and saw my red eyes. I wiped them quickly. It was hard to believe that he had died. I felt horrible for asking him to teach me. But I understood him now.

"Jack, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. I had no idea, and I shouldn't have asked-"

"It's ok. I'll still teach you. I _want_ to teach you. Besides, there's no water to fall into now. I didn't freeze an entire pond for nothing you know."

He seemed ok now. Everything was cleared up between us. I straightened up and carefully glided over to him. He held out his hand to me, and I grasped it with my mitten covered one. His feet left the ice, and he sailed slowly forward, pulling me along easily, staff in his free hand faintly glowing. There was barely any wind now, and I smiled up at him as he flew a little faster over the mirror of ice. Then my hair started to fly back behind my head as we picked up more speed. The ice flew by below my blades making a soft hissing noise as they cut into the glossy surface. He looked down at me.

"_, I'm going to let go of your hand, ok? I'll be right behind you though! Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall!"

I nodded my head, heartbeat making me feel a little sick inside my chest. Then, the cold left my hand and I sailed along the pond with ease. The wind helped me keep my speed by pushing at my back. I laughed into the freezing air.

I squinted at the ice ahead. There was something different about it. It was dipped lower than the rest of the pond. Townspeople called it a "soft-spot". I was approaching it too fast. There was no way I could avoid it in time.

"Jack! There's a soft-spot-"

"I gotcha."

He grabbed around my waist with one arm, and with the other holding the staff, lifted us into the air just before passing the soft-spot below. I shivered. He was freezing! He pulled me closer to him, laughing.

"What? You cold _?"

"N-n-no! I'm fine!"

All the teeth rattling around inside my head begged to differ. He smiled at me.

"Is that you shivering? I thought you said you were fine?"

He laughed yet again at my red face.

We flew around the pond's shore until I spotted my gamebag in the snow by the log. He slowly lowered us to the ground, grinning the whole time. I undid my game bag, sat on the log and ate my lunch after I unlaced the skates. I offered Jack some food, and he took it happily.

"I don't _need_ to eat, but I still can enjoy food."

After putting on my furry boots, I tried to stop shivering by rubbing my arms to no success. Strange. That usually worked. Then I whirled around to face Jack, staff glowing in his hand, wearing a comical grin. He was the one making me cold!

"Jack! Stop it! I'm freezing man!"

He sighed in defeat, and let the staff fade to brown. He walked around the log and sat down beside me after leaning his staff against the spot next to him. The sun was setting already, and pastel colors smothered the pond's surface. It was once again, absolutely beautiful. Jack turned to face me.

"So, I'm guessing you live around here. Want me to take you home yet?"

I nodded. The temperature was dropping quickly, and it was getting dark. Wolves would be out soon. I stood, grabbed my bag, bow and quiver, and ice skates. He surprised me by wrapping his arm around me again. I thought we were walking back. Instead, he lifted me into the air once again, and we floated above the evergreens. I let out a small yelp, and he pulled me closer. My face reddened, then became cold in the next instant. I cleared my head and pointed us towards the direction I had walked from that morning. Searching the horizon, I finally spotted it. The cabin was soon below us, dark and deserted.


	6. Chapter 6

**N/A : **Hi everybody. Working on chapter 7 now. Should be done in time. :)

Chapter 6

Our feet crunched into the snow as Jack landed in front of the cabin. He dropped his arm from my waist to his side. I stood there beside him, looking at the sky. The moon was climbing, face smiling down on us, shedding beautiful light. I could feel Jack looking at me, my faced turned up at the moon. I smiled inside. _The Spirit of Winter looking at me. How 'bout that. _I turned to face him, and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks for everything today Jack. It was definitely one of the most memorable days I've ever had."

"_? I was wondering...it's just that I told you my story earlier... About my family. Could you tell me yours? I mean, you just seem to be out here alone."

_Not anymore. I have you now. _

"Well, how 'bout I tell you tomorrow, when I'm not so tired? I'm sorry, it's just a long story, and I can barely think I'm so worn out. You wanna come over tomorrow morning? Have breakfast or something?"

I hadn't stuttered, had I? Guess not. He grinned in the pale light and nodded.

"Ya, I'll come here in the morning. What time?"

He planted his staff in the snow and leaned towards me against it. I thought for a couple seconds.

"Umm. How 'bout around like 9am?"

I couldn't believe that I was making breakfast plans with Jack _Frost. Definitely didn't think I would ever be doing that._

"Alright. I'll see ya tomorrow morning, then."

He stepped back and left the ground slowly drifting away. Smiling down at me, he gave a short wave before flying off into the night. I stood there for a moment, staring at the wonderful forest that had brought Jack Frost into my life. I felt so happy, so lucky. I actually met _the _Jack Frost! He was real. He was really real. And he seemed to like me.

The horrible ringing of my alarm clock drilled into my ears the next morning at 7:45. I flopped my feet onto the ground, making a slapping noise as they hit. I half-rolled up out of my bed without much coordination on my part. I was barely concious, and was figthing a small headache. I nearly stumbled down the stairs and had to drag my sore feet into the kitchen. They were still hurting from yesterday's ice skating. And falling. But I wouldn't tell Jack. He would feel so bad. Besides, I would be fine in a couple days. I made coffee first, then started on making some coffee cake. After sliding the pan into the oven, I hurried upstairs to get dressed. When I came down, it was already 8:57. I took out the cake, and the aroma of brown sugar and coffee beans filled the kitchen. I poured two cups of coffee, filled mine with creamer until it was white, and set them on the table. I had no fruit... But it would be fine. I put my hair into a side braid and waited at the table, kicking my legs nervously. I hadn't ever had someone visit my cabin before. Time went by, and when I glanced at the grandfather clock, it was already 9:24. Where was he?

A loud series of knocks on my front door answered me. I hurried over as quickly as I could, ankles protesting every other step, and swung the door open wide without bothering to check. I could feel the cold seeping through under the door and rolling out onto my bare toes. I curled them closer to my feet as I welcomed Jack inside. His hair was white as ever, disheveled and sticking up everywhere. Puffs of air rushed out as he explained his tardiness.

"I'm so... *Puff* sorry _ that I'm late! I just thought that...*puff* I should bring you something or whatever. I don't know, but here."

He set his staff against the wall by the door, and brought his free hand forward. He was holding something. He walked over to the table and set down a handful of wild berries of some sort on a napkin. They were dark violet and each was the size of a good grape. They reminded me of oversized blueberries. I turned to Jack and asked him about them.

"Huh. I've never seen this type of berry before, Jack. It looks good though. Where'd you get them?"

"They mostly grow in a little part of the forest, so I went there this morning. It's kinda tough to find, which is why I'm so late."

He looked at me and offered an apologetic grin.

"They're called snowberries. Or, that's what I call them at least. I don't know their real name or anything."

We both sat down at the table, seated across from eachother. He looked at his mug as if it was filled with gold. He looked up at me.

"Is this... Coffee? It smells like it. I haven't had coffee before."

I nodded, and he took a gulp of the strong black liquid to my surprise. I should have told him to add sugar or something. Too late now. Hopefully he likes it black. As soon as he set the mug down, I could see his face. His mouth was puckered up in surprise at the unexpected flavor, the one that I hated so much. His eyes were screaming for help. I pushed his mug closer to him, trying to indicate that he should just spit it out. He shook his head, got up from the table, opened a window, and spit the steaming hot, black liquid out into the snow. I couldn't help but laugh at him. His face still had a bewildered look on it. I poured him a cool glass of milk, and we sat down again. While he was drinking the milk, cup still held to his mouth, I decided to say something.

"How was the coffee?"

He set the cup down and splutterd milk out of his nose. I definitely _hadn't _expected that. Maybe a smile or something, but not _that. _I couldn't stop laughing at him, yet again. It had to be one of the funniest things I had ever witnessed. He sat there helplessly with milk running down his face, dripping onto the table. I gave him my napkin, and he cleaned himself up. Then, he looked up at me.

"What just happenned?"

"You shot milk out your nose, that's what. Am I really that funny?"

"Milk. Out my nose. I can safely say that I've never done that until now. It felt weird."

I gave him a look that said "go on...?"

"And yes, you're _that_ funny."

I sat back in my chair, arms crossed over my chest triumphantly. _Knew it. _

I gave him a slice of home-made coffee cake, and he took it cautiously. I think the name _coffee _cake scared him a bit. I explained that it was actually sweet, and took a big bite to prove it. He still looked at the piece of cake on his fork suspiciously. I reasoned with him.

"Look, would I ever trick you?"

His white head looked up at me suddenly, blue eyes questioning.

"What did you say, _?"

"Just said that I would never trick you is all."

"Oh...I guess you wouldn't."

He seemed distant. My question obviously meant more to him than what I thought. Maybe it had something to do with his past. _Should I ask him about it? _

_"_Jack, what's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh. It's just that... I said that to my sister once. She didn't trust me about something, so I said that. She said that I 'played tricks all the time'. She was right. It happened at the pond, on that day I told you about..."

He stared at the crumbs on his plate, then started messing around with them with his fork.

"So _. Are you gonna tell me how you came to live out here?"

He was looking down at his plate still when I replied.

"Ya."

I grabbed a snowberry and popped it in my mouth. The skin ripped, and juice that tasted sweet and tart spilled everywhere in my mouth. It reminded me of grape juice and strawberries mixed together. I began to start talking when Jack looked up and grinned.

"What're you grinning about? I'm trying to tell a story."

"Your mouth is covered in purple."

I wiped my mouth off with a white napkin, and when I took it away, it was splotched with purple juice. I continued after looking at my hands. I started fiddling with them.

"I'm an orphan. My parents died in a plane crash. They were on a trip, for their anniversary. On the way back, something happened to the plane. It hit a storm, and something got torn off. Part of the wing I think."

I briefly glanced up at Jack, and he seemed to be in shock. Eyes wide, mouth barely open. I hadn't expected him to be so surprised. I do live here alone. Without parents.

"It was tough to deal with. I was 5. I remember them."

I pointed at a small picture on the counter. It was framed in wood.

"Those are them. I lived in an orphanage for 11 years. As soon as I turned 16, I left. I inherited money from them. And the land here. The cabin was already built, so I thought, 'Why not?'. I've been living here by myself for almost a year. In fact, you just missed my 17th birthday. It's on the 22nd of December. First day-"

"of winter."

"Ya. I guess you of all people would know."

"I'm...sorry about your parents... But I don't understand, why live alone?"

I looked up from my hands at him. He still had traces of nervous shock on his face from earlier, but he was honestly confused.

"Because, I never made any friends in the city. I was a loner, still was, until you showed up."

He looked distraught. Something was up. He knew something I didn't. I couldn't just ask him straight up to tell me though. Maybe I was wrong. Jack didn't seem like the kind of guy that hides things from people. Maybe I'm right. I had no idea. It's still the morning, probably not thinking straight. It'll be fine.

That's what everyone tells you when you both know something's wrong.

**N/A :** I'll post tomorrow like usual. -Kat :D


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N : **I'm alive! Yay! And here's chapter seven. Unfortunately, I've been assigned an essay at school over Antigone by Sophocles. It's due Friday, so after then, I should have chapter 8 done for you guys. :) my highschool was on the news last night! Craaaazy.

Chapter 7

After finishing breakfast, Jack wanted to take me flying. He said that he wanted to show me this clearing in the woods that he had found that would be great for target practice with my bow. And he really wanted to learn. So I agreed to show him a thing or two.

I didn't take a lunch this time, because Jack said that there were patches of snow berries near the clearing. I took my bow and quiver, and my empty gamebag in case I actually hunted. I was low on rabbit, and was running out of beef jerky I had gotten earlier that year from town. I would have to keep my eyes open for tracks.

When I came down the stairs, Jack was sitting on the last step waiting for me. He heard me and stood up so that I could get by. I made sure to check that the furnace was out before we left. I closed the door behind me, not bothering to lock it. No one ever came close to my cabin. They were all leading their boring lives in a big city or town, where fantasies and stories had died long ago. I was here, out in the forest, free to believe in whatever or whoever I liked.

Jack looped his arm around me, and we took off into the frosty sky, high above the evergreen trees and snowy ground below. Cold air bit at my face, annoying me. Then, I looked at Jack, and gave him a suspicious face. Was it him?

"Jack, are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

I sighed.

"Nevermind..."

"Hey, just because you get cold, you can't blame me."

"Ohhh. So you _did_ know what I was talking about."

We laughed.

"Ok... It still wasn't me though."

I felt like dusting my response with sarcasm.

"Ya, _okay."_

I caught him smiling at me, but it turned into a mischievious grin quickly. What was he thinking? Then, his arm loosened around my waist a bit. I gave him a look of disbelief.

"You wouldn't."

His eyes looked daring.

"I would."

And with those words, I felt his cold arm slip away from my waist, and I was in midair, touching nothing. It was the weirdest sensation I had experienced, but it was also the most frightening. I fell, looking up at his smiling face, my back to the earth. Clouds rushed past me, their wisps clinging to my hair and clothing as I fell through one after the other. _So that's what they feel like. _I was making some kind of noise as I fell. It was close to a scream, mixed with both exhilaration and fear.

Jack was falling above me, never leaving my sight. He was no more than 6 feet away the whole time. I tried grabbing his arms, but he would move them, taunting me.

"Say sorry!"

"For what Jack!? Sorry that I'm so heavy, and that you were too weak to hold me any longer?!"

"No! Sorry that you accused me of makin you cold!"

I looked at him with my very best _are-you-freaking-kidding-me? _face. He gave me the most serious look I've ever seen in response. (It was so serious, it would have matched Batman's face on any joyous occasion. Like Christmas or New Years. Or his birthday.)

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry that you're so frickin sensitive! Now grab me!"

The ground wasn't getting any softer.

"Never thought a girl would _demand_ me to do that. But ok."

He dove close to me and got me from around the waist, and pulled us both up in time to miss the ground. My heart was fluttering and thrashing around inside my chest. That was close. I clung with both arms to his back, just in case he got any ideas. He was quiet, and didn't protest until we landed softly on the ground, thick with snow. We were in the clearing.

"_..._? You can let go now."

"Oh."

I untwined my arms from him and rested them against my sides. They were freezing.

"You wouldn't have let me hit the ground."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Never in my life."

He walked past me, and I turned around to see where he was going. He had stopped in the middle of the clearing, his back to me, with his arms crossed over his chest from what I could tell. I followed his tracks and stood beside him. His bare feet weren't visible in the deep snow, only his ankles. He turned to look at me.

"Here it is."

The clearing was a flat plain of white for the most part, and was shaped in an oblong blob. Tall, sturdy evergreens encircled the clearing, an unending wall of green and white. They looked ancient and enduring. Jack pointed out a particularly tall bunch in front of us.

"I'll go set up some targets for you on the trunks."

His feet popped out of the snow with a soft *puft*, and he floated above the plain down to the trees. I reached over my back and grabbed my bow, swung it around to my front, and grabbed an arrow from the quiver. Jack was doing something with the trees still, so I stood a while longer. Then, he came flying to me, low to the ground, his back to the sky.

"Okay, I made 5 targets. Those trees have rings of frost on the trunks now, can you see them from here?"

"Ya. Thanks."

I drew the arrow close to my chest, felt the tension on the cord, and released the feathered end. I was left with a small, crimson ribbon on my finger from the stiff feathers, and the satisfying *twang* from the tension released in the cord. Seconds later, a solid *thunk* sounded off into the clearing. I had hit the ring just outside the center circle. Jack smiled.

"Not bad."

"Thanks."

I let 4 more arrows go into the air at each remaining tree with mixed results. 2 tress had an arrow each in the center. Not dead on, but pretty close. The other 2 had an arrow each embedded in the 2nd furthest ring from the center. I kept shooting arrow after arrow from my bow until the trees were riddled with them. When I ran out, Jack went down-range to pull them out of the bark. He came back, and put them in my quiver for me. I took it off my back, and gave it to him.

"Your turn."

I gave him the bow, and moved his arms and elbows to the correct angles. I showed him how to grasp the cord and how to load an arrow at the same time. How much tension to use for a target that far away. How to hold your breath when pulling back the cord to your chest. How to line up the target with the metal arrowhead. He caught on quickly, and really didn't need my help. But he kept asking for it.

"Is this right?"

"Yep. Now concentrate and-"

The arrow flew through the air, making a sound of urgency, and made contact with the wood near the center. He smiled at me.

"Very good. You learn fast, Jack."

"Thanks. This is fun. You teaching me this."

"Ya..."

I trailed off, something caught my eye near the trees. It was small, and scuttling from the base of one tree to the next. I squinted, and recognized the ears.

"Jack, hand me my bow real quick..."

I never took my eyes off the rabbit, and held out my open hand towards Jack. As soon as the weight of the wooden weapon registered with my mind, I grabbed an arrow from the quiver, and in one fluid motion, loaded it on the cord, pulled back hard, and let it sing through the air. The poor rabbit never saw it coming. Instead of a solid *thunk*, the snow reflected a muffled *thump* back to our ears.

"Was that a rabbit?"

"Yep. I'll go and get it, before something else does. Can you hold my bow for me? Snow will damage the wood if it sits in it. I haven't put a coating on it yet. Be right back."

I took off running for the treeline, happy to have finally shot something that would make a good stew. As I came closer, I looked back at Jack and smiled. He was still in the middle of the meadow, peering into the tree line. I turned back to face the rabbit I had shot, bent to pick it up, and froze. A low growl broke the peaceful silence. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. There was a large, black and grey wolf with brown eyes staring at me, baring it's long and yellow teeth. Fear took root in my chest. _I can't just scream for Jack. If it get's startled, it'll definitely attack me. What if I just give it the rabbit? _I edged my hand close to the rabbit's head, but the wolf snarled even louder as its ears moved from being pressed against it's head to standing straight up, directed at me. It's lips curled violently upwards, showing its dark pink gums and nasty mouth to me. It took a step closer. That was the breaking point. I sprinted through the snow, racing towards Jack, yelling at him.

"JACK! JACK!"

I could hear the wolf hopping through the snow behind me, getting closer, chasing me down. _This must be what it feels like, to be hunted. _

Jack raced over the surface of the snow towards me, the wolf was gaining. They were both so close.

I could see Jack's eyes. They were furious. He was gritting his teeth, his jaw locked when he nearly passed over me. His staff was blue.

"Get down!"

I dove into the fluffy snow, my face instantly frozen. I lifted my head out quickly, and flipped over onto my back after hearing the noise of ice crackling. I rested on my elbows, looking at the face of the frozen wolf only a couple feet from mine. It's teeth we're shining, and it's mouth was wide open. Jack was crouching beside me, his staff fading back to brown. He stared at the wolf, then turned to look at me.

"Are you hurt?"

"Um, no... I don't think so..."

I was in a sort of shock.

"I... I almost _died, _Jack."

"I know."

He stood and grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet. He spoke softly.

"You're ok."

The wolf stared at me with blank, lifeless eyes from behind Jack. I closed my eyes after staring back. Jack put his hand on my shoulder, and we walked back to get my bow and bag.

A/N : you guys hang in there for chapter 8.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N : **Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews! You are all so kind! And I'm sorry if the story is going a little fast, but I have to get my ideas out! :P you know the feeling... Anyways, that stupid essay is done! So here's 8...

Chapter 8

Jack flew us both back to my cabin. I was still startled from the wolf attack, and Jack thought it would be best for us to call it a day.

We were both sitting on my sofa watching TV, not seeing anything particularly interesting. Animal Planet. Tonight had a special on wolves playing, ironically. I changed the channel, and a weather forfaster predicted the rest of the week in a monotone voice.

After a while, I got bored and started to wonder about the strange wolf. It was alone, from what I could tell, and wolves always hunted in packs. Even when they're starving. And that wolf was definitely hungry. I recalled the way it stared at the rabbit and my hand. Eyes never leaving either the entire time. Why was the wolf so aggressive? It had to have seen that I wasn't a real threat. But it still pursued me. Wolves are usualy shy. They keep to themselves, deep in the forest. That afternoon was the first time I had seen one in real life.

"Hey, Jack?"

He turned to face me, the TV lighting up half of his face.

"Ya?"

"Have you ever seen any wolves in the forest, besides the one today?"

"Uh... Ya. I'll seen some walking under the trees in the deeper part of the forest every once in a while. But they never notice me, because I'm too high up in the trees to see. And I don't think they can smell me either. I don't think I have a scent. At least to them. Why? Was today the first time you've ever seen one?"

"Ya."

He nodded in understanding, and we both turned our attention to the TV when we heard the weather woman say, "...and this blizzard will roll into the area, especially in the mountain region, late tonight. It'll stay around for several days it seems, given the strength of this particular storm. People in the area, expect snow drifts and sub-zero temperatures...".

Jack smiled to himself and muttered.

"Sounds like my kind of weather. And I didn't have to even do anything this time."

Then, he turned to face me again, face half-lit.

"Uh, you know, if that blizzard is gonna kill your crops and stuff in the greenhouse, I could just blow it the other way."

"Oh, thanks, but I kinda want it to come here. I've never been in one before. And my vegetables are already dormant, so they'll be fine."

I started a mental checklist. Check food supplies. Did that a couple days ago. Check water pipes to pump. That's taken care of too. Get firewood. I'd have to do that before the sun goes down. I stood up from the couch.

I looked over my shoulder as I put on my jacket. Jack looked at me from the couch.

"I need to chop some firewood, so-"

"I know a thing or two about that. I'll help you. "

He jumped over the back of the couch, and opened the back door for me. We walked down the back porch's steps and onto the snow. I lead us towards the small shed behind the cabin. When I looked back at Jack, he was carefully, deliberately stepping in my boot prints, making a game of it. I laughed to myself as I swung open the rusty door to the shed. Jack closed it behind us, and I lit a lantern hanging from the low ceiling.

A warm glow lit Jack's face. It looked so much more different than what it usually did. I had only seen the strong, invulnerable, and... well, _cold _Jack. Until now. Now he looked more innocent. Less invincible. He looked quite human, actually. His eyes didn't look as blue as usual, they relected the warm fire lit wooden walls. And his hair was full of shadows cast from the lantern, and appeared much darker. I turned away and started looking for my axe in a box of tools against the wall. He put his hand on my shoulder, just as I grasped the smooth, wooden handle of the axe.

"What is it, _? Something on my face?"

I turned around, axe hanging beside me, sheepish grin on my face.

"No, I just thought that you looked, I don't know, different? Like, you looked more human. Not that you don't right now, you just looked... Warmer."

"Oh."

We walked outside again, me feeling like a complete idiot. What if I had insulted him? And what I said didn't make any sense.

I told Jack to find a large, dead tree, becasue the dry wood wouod burn easier. Jack flew into the air, floated for a minute, and came back down.

"Um, _? Are you sure I should leave you here alone? With the wolf earlier today-"

"I have an _axe."_

"Ya, but still..."

He saw my face.

"Fine, I'll go get a tree. Just yell though, like just in case-"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Ok, ok! I'm going."

I walked back to the porch, and waited. It wasn't long before I saw him emerge from the treeline, staff in one hand, tree in the other. He drug it behind him in the snow, leaving a trench in the ground. He let it down, and I felt the ground move a little. It was pretty big.

I walked up to the tree, axe swinging back in forth in my hand.

"Thanks Jack."

I raised the axe above my head, and brought it down using all my weight. A loud *thunk* resounded across the snow. The lighter, tan wood showed through the dark, split bark. I raised the axe again, and swung down on the trunk until the section finally broke off. I was working up a sweat, but moved onto the next section with eagerness. It was kinda fun.

I finished several more sections, Jack watching me silently. He grinned when I finally paused to take a breath. He stuck the bottom of his staff in the snow, rolled up his hoodie's blue sleeves,grabbed the axe, and took over from there. I had already done 2/3 of the trunk, and he finished the last part with ease. Just 2 minutes later, he dropped the axe in the snow, and started stacking them for splitting. I walked over, picked up the axe, and began splitting the first couple of logs. 10 minutes later, I had split around half, and Jack took over to do the rest. Again, he finished quickly. It was probably due to the fact that one swing from him sent the log flying into two pieces. One swing from me just cracked the log. A little. He was a pro.

"Did you always used to chop wood?"

"Yep. Every winter. You know. When I was still human."

I nodded in undestanding. We both stacked the firelogs in a pile against the outside of the cabin. When we finished, Jack put my axe back in the shed, and I spread a tarp over the wood pile to protect it from snow. I couldn't quite get one of the far corners to settle right. I kept tugging on the edge, but it wasn't straightening out. A gust of wind lifted up the entire tarp, and set it down gently and evenly onto the pile. It looked fine. I turned around, and Jack smiled at me.

"Ready to go in?"

I grabbed a fire log from the pile and nodded.

I crouched down, set the log in the fireplace, and watched as the yellow flames climbed around to smother the wood. Each flame grew until the small, bottom part turned blue. The heat started to burn my forehead and nose, so I turned away from the fire to face Jack, who sat on the sofa, whittling some wood scraps with a knife he had found in the shed. The faint coldness rolling off of him cooled my face. I walked into the kitchen, found some canned cream of chicken soup, and heated it on the stove.

I could hear the wind picking up outside. Snow started to fall, and the sun went away for awhile.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N : **Just wanted to let you guys know that if the character/you seems a little too trusting, it's because they really want to accept Jack as a new friend. They've been alone for a long time, and are finally ready to have someone to talk to again. Just saying, that's my reasoning. Ok. Here's 9...

Chapter 9

I offered Jack a bowl full of soup, and he took it happily. We sat side by side in front of the fire, and watched the blinding flames dance across the charred wood. My eyes quickly became sore from staring so long at the heat, so I shifted my gaze to my empty , glass bowl, which sat in my lap. Jack was still slurping his soup from his own bowl. When he finished, he stood up and held out his hand towards me.

"I can take your bowl for you."

"Oh, thank you."

He walked off to the kitchen, and I heard glass and silverware clinking in the sink. Since my bowl was now gone, I was forced to study the shadows and light cast by the fire onto the floor in front of me. There was a particular shadow that caught my eye. It looked vaguely like a sillohuete of a man. At first, it looked generic. Like any man. However, it changed suddenly into a more... Wicked looking man. It managed to melt away as soon as soft footfall approached. I turned to face Jack, to tell him what I saw, but I second guessed myself. My eyes were tired, as was my mind. I needed to rest.

Instead of mentioning the elusive shadow, I yawned a little. Jack sat down beside me on the floor, his staff laid out across his knees. He passed it over to me, to my surprise. I took it after looking at him, to make sure that he wanted me to. He nodded, and I grasped the knarled wood. I felt the tiny grooves and twists that ran the length of the staff. The crook was the most interesting. It curved sharply and hooked to an end. The whole thing weighed a good deal. It was definitely sturdy, but Jack twirled it around as if it were actually made of balsa wood. It was also smooth, like stone. It would be impossible to get a splinter from it.

Jack reached out and touched the middle of the staff, held between my hands. Blue frost patterns spread from his hand as the staff came to life. It became cold, and I caught myself grinning. It was beautiful, and I could feel the pure power coming off of it. Jack was smiling at me.

"Cool, huh?"

I smiled back, and raised my eyebrows. He quickly replied.

"No pun intended."

"It is pretty awesome though."

I offered him the staff back, and he lifted it out of my lap. It faded back to brown when he set it down on the floor beside himself. I yawned involuntarily as we both heard the wind blow against the cabin.

"I can feel the storm strengthening."

I stood up with drowsy eyes, and half-stumbled to the closet under the stairs. I could feel Jack's curious gaze follow me. I opened the door, and pulled out a quilt. After going back to the living room, I threw the quilt onto the sofa.

"Um, Jack, you can sleep on here if you want. It's actually really comfy. Heck, do you even sleep?"

He laughed and walked over to the sofa.

"Um ya. Just not often. But I might as well. It's been... Weeks."

I raised my eyebrows to that. Who would have guessed.

"Well, um. Goodnight then."

"Night, _."

I shuffled my feet to the staircase and began the long climb up to my room. I left the warm light of the living room, and headed into the much darker loft. There was no moon light coming in, because of the blizzard. I felt around for the door nob, and finally grasped the cold metal. I swung the door open and stepped inside my dark room. After finding my flannel pants and a soft shirt, I took off my socks and flopped onto my cold bed. It would need to be warmed up. Which would take forever. I wiggled around, rolled on my stomach, back onto my back, moved onto my sides, until the friction created some heat. It was a little better. At least I wasn't shivering.

Thinking about shivering reminded me of my guest downstairs. How long has it been since that day at the pond? Like what, 2 days? And a night? Why was he sleeping in my house? _Because you know him._ But only for- _2 days, and one night. Yes, but he saved you on the ice. And from the wolf. Hasn't he earned your trust? _I let those thoughts sink in. He did save me, and what did I have to fear from him? He's a good guy. He would never hurt anyone. He was my protector. Satisfied with my reasoning for now, I drifted to sleep.

The dream was memorable to say the least. I was flying, up high above the earth, among soft, golden clouds. The air was perfect, near skin temperature. There was a light breeze blowing across me, and I felt wonderful. Without warning, the dream turned into a nightmare. The clouds darkened, and the air became cold. Clouds swirled everywhere, colliding with one another. Then, I heard it. The whine of a plane engine in the distance. The motor sounded stressed as I heard it cut through the clouds. Then, a huge plane came into view. I recognized it, from my past. I knew who was in it. I knew what would happen to them. I knew that I couldn't change history. But this was a dream. I'll at least change the outcome here, in my own mind, if I couldn't do anything in reality. I willed myself forward, not having a plan of action yet. I was stuck though. It was as if someone was holding me still. I watched in horror as the wing made a sickening tearing noise. It fell away, and the plane plummeted, spiraling downwards. There was no stopping it. I wanted to turn away, to close my eyes to the event, but I couldn't. I physically couldn't. Once again, someone was holding me against my will. I was forced to witness the crash. The fire, the plowed ground. The people. They were past help. I felt my tears fall onto the crash site, just a small contribution as rain poured down with them.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N : **Hello! Argument time in this chapter. Sorry if Jack seems out of character.

Chapter 10

I screamed in my nightmare, and unknowingly did so in reality. My throat became dry, and I felt like I was choking. There was no moisture, and I began to gag.

My eyes burned when they flew open, and I heard a scream. It was mine. It had to be. My mouth was open, my throat was sore, and I could feel my voice escape into the room. I promptly clamped both hands over my mouth, and silenced myself. What if Jack heard? _That would be so embarrassing! He would think I'm crazy or something. _

The door at the end of my room swung open without warning, and I shrank back against my head board. I could feel the tears prick at my eyes. They were still burning from the sudden exposure to the cold air. Only my eyes were visible when Jack stood at the doorway, staff glowing, shedding blue light into the room. He took one step inside, and spoke softly to me.

"_? Are you ok?"

I felt so drained from the nightmare. It was too real, more real than anything. I felt as if I had lost my parents for a second time. I barely survived losing them the first. My hands were shaking, and my body was weak.

"I'm ok."

He peered through the dim light, and let the staff fade. He looked at me, and was seeming to ask for my permission to come in. I nodded in understanding. I heard his soft footsteps come closer, and I hid my face from him. I didn't want him to see me. I hated to look weak. I felt my mattress flex from the new weight. I looked up, and there he was, sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting politely. He leaned his staff up against the side of the bed, and looked over at me. His eyes saddened when he saw the shining tear trails running down my face, all the way to my chin. I tried to smile in the dull light, but the pitiful effort made me wince. I couldn't bring myself to be fake anymore, not with him. I might as well be honest.

"_. It's... Ok to cry."

I felt his cool hand rest on my shoulder. His eyes shone with understanding. He had lost his family. He knew. I let the tears gush, warm and salty down my cheeks. My eyelashes became cold as the water caught the chilly air. I wiped them quickly with my sleeve and continued. I had to let it out. My chest tightened up, holding in the air. I coughed, and gasped. Another wave of tears came out of my red eyes. I felt isolated for some reason though. Like no one was really there. Jack was a couple feet away. But I felt distanced. Then, he seemed to understand, and pulled me into his side, blankets and all. I put my face against his hoodie, and cried silently a little more. My chest loosened up, and I stopped gasping for air. My tears slowed their rapid descent, and my eyes felt a little more soothed. I kept my face buried in the soft fabric though. It smelled just like the forest, and it calmed me. Pine trees and fresh, frigid air filled my nose. Both of Jack's arms were wrapped around me, still holding me to him. I wasn't cold though, because of the blankets clinging to me. His hand was gently rubbing my back, in a comforting manner. I felt safe there, in his arms.

After my eyes dried up, I looked at up him from my pile of blankets. I gave him a weak smile.

"Sorry to scare you. You probably thought that something had happened to me."

"Well, something did to make you scream like that."

"I had a nightmare."

"What was it about? I mean, you don't have to tell me or any-"

"My parents. The plane crash."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"Just remember, it was only a dream."

He looked at me with seriousness. The words seems to hold a different weight when he said them. One of importance.

"Ya, I know. I knew it the whole time, Jack."

He nodded.

"Did it seem real?"

"Very. But, I knew it was dream, because I was flying. Without you there."

He seemed relieved. I thought it odd.

"Why do you look so happy?"

"Oh. It's just that I... I'm glad that your nightmare was just that, a nightmare."

"Jack, I practically relived the loss of my parents. It was more than a nightmare."

I looked at him with questioning eyes. What was he hiding?

"Jack."

He made eye contact.

"You aren't telling me something. Why?"

He looked frustrated, and seemed to be making a decision. He let go of me, and dug his hands into his hair. I let down my knees, so that they could dangle over the side of my bed. Finally, after much contemplation, he stood up, and walked over to the little square window. Dim light filtered in through the blizzard's snowy air. I glanced at my clock. It was 10:48am.

"_, you deserve, need, to know the truth. But first, I have to tell you something. Have you ever heard of the boogeyman? The guy that... Gives you nightmares?"

"Yes. As a child. I never really believed that he actually existed. Are you saying he's real? Like you?"

Jack nodded.

"He's real. And so are a lot of other legends."

"He gave me the nightmare."

I recalled the shadow from last night.

"Jack, I think he's here. Last night, I might have seen him. But I doubted myself."

"I thought that he might be here. Anyone I care about... He hurts them."

"You really care about me?"

"Yes."

"Then please, Jack. Tell me what's up."

He looked down at his bare feet, mustering up his courage. After a couple moments, he looked up at me with sad, guilty eyes. I became worried. What could he possibly have to say?

"I was there."

I stared at him. Was he talking about the plane crash?

"At the crash?"

He became mute, and nodded solemnly.

My heart fluttered in panic. Did this mean... That _he _caused the crash?! He couldn't have... It was possible though. There was no denying it. I stopped staring at him, and looked down at my hands. Why hadn't he told me sooner? Was he trying to protect me? My thoughts became crowded, and my head started to hurt. I cleared away all of the mess, and waited for one, solid thought to be brought forward.

He killed them.

A tear formed, not from sorrow alone, but from betrayal and malice. It fell onto my face, and I glared at Jack.

"How could you not tell me?"

His face became twisted in anger and surprise.

"How could I not tell you?! Where in the heck would I have fit in the bit about me causing the death of your parents?! When I introduced myself?! Hi, I'm Jack Frost, and I'm the one who _orphaned you! _! _Think about how _I _felt."

Shock registered on my face. Then anger and saddness seeped into my thoughts. I stood up.

"How could you say that about their deaths? How can you speak so freely about it? You don't know them! You never will! It's because of you that they died!"

I turned on my heel to leave the room, but his words stopped me.

"I was fighting Pitch. The boogeyman."

I looked over my shoulder.

"I was forced to make a storm. To protect myself..."

"To protect yourself? Did you think of the consequences? What would happen if you made a storm?"

"...no..."

I turned back around, and ran out of the room, down the stairs. I pulled on my boots, and flung open the back door after snagging my jacket on the way out.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N : **Hi! I won't be posting for awhile, because of my trip I'm taking for a couple days. Most likely no wifi there, but I'll still write stuff, so when I get home, I'll post. Sorry you guys! And thanks for all of those reviews! 90... Who woulda thought? Haha anyways, Merry Christmas!

Chapter 11**  
**

I pulled the jacket tight to my already freezing body. The wind bit through the wool and into my skin. My flannel pants and boots were all that I had on my legs. I immediately began shivering as I ran through the snow. I didn't look back at the house. I needed to think. I needed a quiet place, yet here I was, in the middle of a blizzard, seeking solace. What kind of idiot am I? Running through a blizzard. Yep, that's me. No matter. I need to get away from him for awhile. Will he come after me? Probably. I need a hiding place. There were some caves I had seen when I first moved in. I was heading in the right direction anyways. I slowed my running to a trudge, and had a new goal. Get to the caves, eat something, think. Then go back? Yes. _Then_ go back.

Once or twice while on my little mission, I heard Jack calling out to me through the snow-thick air. He sounded desperate, searching for me. He must be trying to clear the storm by now. I could feel the wind weakening, and the air becoming a little more hospitable. It wouldn't be long until my cover was blown. I'd have to hurry. Even someone with his power couldn't clear away a blizzard this size completely in 10 minutes. 20? Maybe. I began running through the powder, coming to the begining of a new treeline. The snow flurries were easier to see through, because the wind was filtered through the thick forest. I looked behind me. My tracks weren't being covered by the snow here either. Out in the open, they most likely were. I would be alone for awhile. Good enough.

The caves looked strangely inviting, with their black mouths opening from the ground. I kept walking until I found one with an easy entrance. I stepped into the ground, step by step, each made up of earth and packed snow. I descended until it was dimly lit inside, and I felt sure that Jack wouldn't find me here. It was painfully silent, and I found a rock on the ground, and started etching into the soft walls.

I drew lines at first. Simple and boring. Then I made a star. Then a flower. A shephard's crook. I quickly scribbled that one out though. I wanted to draw a heart, to complete my collection of doodles, but I couldn't bring myself to make it. I instead made a simple pine tree. I sat back, content with my drawing session. I checked my watch. It was about 12:25pm, more or less. My stomach growled. I had already skipped breakfast.

I slowly stood, and walked towards the entance of the cave, where some light filtered down from the forest below, and carefully climbed out of the earth. I looked around, but Jack wasn't in sight. And besides, even if he did find me, I had had time to think alone. I felt the eerie feeling of being observed, and turned around, but saw nothing of course. The feeling persisted, and I looked curiously down into the cave. It was filled with shadows, and I couldn't make out anything distinctive. Then, the shadows changed into a definite form. The figure stood tall, watching me. Just the sight of him, I assumed he was a man, struck me with fear. He held my wide eyed stare, and took a daring step towards me. I bolted away, fear driving me to twist and weave through the trees. I had to leave. This man was evil, I could feel it. As I ran, the fear in my chest increased as my heart beat with panic. I was too far from any help. My home was too far. Jack was too far. My parents were too far. I really was on my own this time. I kept running though, that is, until I ran right into the man. I bounced off, and landed on my elbows on the ground. That would definitely bruise. I looked up at the tall figure looming before me.

We made eye contact. His eyes were... Golden looking. Amused and calculating. Actually, quite cynical. I became uneasy under his gaze. What was he chasing me for? He had to be that boogeyman Jack mentioned. Pitch. The one he fought. Pitch was the real cause of my parents' deaths. More responsible than Jack by far. My mind was made up. I would forgive Jack, but hold Pitch responsible for their perishing. That was what I had decided in the cave. And here I was, face to face with the monster who had my parents murdered.

"You're Pitch."

He smiled in a twisted up way. Must be him.

"And you must be _. Jack _does _seem utterly _fascinated_ by you. You're the only human _girl _his age he's met in... I'd say centuries?"

I stood when he started to slowly stroll around me. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. I mean, the guy radiated a general bad feeling wherever he walked. He was the guy who _made_ the nightmares. I felt... Scared. I hardly ever felt scared. Like, _ever. _

"So, what is it you want...Pitch, was it?"

He looked slightly annoyed. Good.

"Nothing from you really. I want something from Jack. But to get what I want from him, I have to go through you."

Cryptic much?

"So, you really do want something from me. Or am I hearing things?"

He smiled to himself.

"You seem like someone I would befriend, _. But unfortunately for you, I want Jack's suffering. I want him to feel a new kind of fear, just for me. I want him to run, I want him to hide, and I want him to suffer, just like I did."

With every hate filled word, he took a menacing step closer to me. He was just in front of me now. I could reach out and touch him. Fear welled up inside of me.

"But _. It's unfortunate for you, because for him to suffer, he needs to lose something, or _someone _in this case, that he loves. It seems to me... that he loves you."

His twisted grin broke into a small smile.

"And you, _, your greatest fear... _is being alone. _I hope you'll remember that."

I could feel myself shaking a bit. I felt completely lost, hopeless and deserted. But Pitch was the reason. He was doing this to me. To make me weak. I had to be strong. Not for just myself this time, but also for Jack. Both of us were on the line. I looked up at Pitch. Jack would be looking, right? He was my best bet against someone with powers like Pitch. I needed to stall.

"Were you the one who killed them?"

Pitch's eyes flickered. He took the bait.

"I couldn't have done it alone. Your friend Jack, he was gracious enough to provide the storm itself that sent the plane plummeting. Of course, I admit, I was the one who started the fight."

He smiled sickly at me, enjoying my pain. I became filled with anger. I took a step towards him.

"You're nothing Pitch. You're just a pathetic monster that enjoys the suffering of innocent children."

He reached out and grabbed me by the throat, and lifted me into the air. My feet dangled several feet above the snowy ground below. Boy, this guy was _tall._

_"Well_, _, since you seem to consider me as one who enjoys pain, I might as well demonstrate that remarkable trait of mine to you now. I know that _I'll _enjoy it."

His fingers closed tighter around my throat. I could feel the crisp air being used up already in my lungs. They faintly burned. Pitch stared into my eyes. Jack had to be nearby. I attempted to yell for him, but nothing came out.

"See, _? You're going to face your greatest fear, being alone. So far from anyone, that you'll see what I've felt. What I've endured. And Jack will blame himself for everything. He'll finally feel pain, real pain."

A sharp pain jabbed its way from my stomach, to my entire being. I felt warmth leaving my body, and Pitch dropped me into the snow. I squinted up, and he was gone. I was relieved, and my fears subsided. I tried to sit up, but the sharp pain returned. I cried out, and I fell onto my back. I craned my neck forward, and looked at my stomach. My eyes went wide with realization. Pitch had stabbed me with some sort of black knife. It appeared to be made out of some kind of sand. It burned though. A lot. I ler my head fall back into the snow, and gritted my teeth in pain. A couple tears came sliding down my face.

"Jack! Jaaaaack!"

I waited, looking up at the sky framed with the tips of evergreens and pines. I was alone. Fear creeped its way into my heart and mind. I became weaker. I felt for my stomach, and grimaced when I found the knife, still stuck in me. I brought my hand back, stained with red, and wiped it on my jacket. I turned my head to the side, eyesight blurring from tears and blood loss. The sun was going down already. How long have I been like this?

Cold wind rushed through the trees. I yelled out for Jack. He might be close.

"Jack!"

My voice cracked, and more tears came out. I stared hopelessly into the darkening sky above. Pitch was hoping that Jack would find me. So that he would witness me leaving him forever. I felt selfish, because I wanted him here no matter what. I needed him here. I couldn't die alone.

The wind flourished as Jack's face appeared above me. I smiled weakly.

"You found me."

He nodded, and saw my wound, the strange knife. He looked bewildered.

"Pitch did this to you..."

I nodded back quietly.

His face said it all. He couldn't fix it. No one human could either. I decided to say what needed to be said.

"Jack, I'm sorry for accusing you of everything. I know that it wasn't your fault now. It was Pitch. It was all him. I forgive you, even if you don't forgive yourself."

"_. "

He knelt down beside me.

He pushed back my hair, and tried to keep his eyes off of the knife. We both knew that I wasn't going to make it much longer. Jack picked me up carefully, and held me. We stayed like that for awhile. I could feel the cold against me, and didn't care anymore. I wasn't alone. Everything would be ok.

"Jack."

He looked down on me. I grabbed his hand and held it.

"We're going to be ok. Promise me that."

A moment passed. His eyes became glossy.

"_, we're gonna be fine, ok?"

I nodded, and felt weak. I closed my eyes, and felt Jack grab my hand back. I began going numb, and felt him kiss my knuckle before everything went away.

**A/N : **The feels! This isn't the end though, I promise. Shoulda used that as a line. Bleh. Stuffs about to get CRAZY. Prepare yourselves! :D


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N : **Sorry about being late on the story update. For real though, I'm sorry. Anyways, I've just realized that I say "anyways" a lot. Ok so... Here it is... Hold on to your feels people.

Chapter 12

Numb. I felt completely, utterly _numb. _

There was only a void of feeling to accompany my thoughts in the blackness. I was once again alone. _Alone. _The word was completely redefined here, wherever "here" was. It was a neutral place, from what I could tell. Neither good or bad. It just existed. And I was in it. No family, no Jack. Just me. Not even that wretched Pitch. I would have thought that he would like it here, in the dark. Where I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Well, not that I could even tell that my hand existed. Yep. Still numb. I felt as if someone had soaked me in novacaine. No feeling anywhere.

As soon as I completed that thought though, an annoying tingling sensation could be felt in my toes and in the tips of my fingers. It spread up my calves and through my forearms, slowly creeping to my heart. Was I having a heart attack? No. This can't be what that feels like. Heart attacks cause a great deal of pain. I calmed down a bit, relieved to be... Alive? Was I? The tingling stopped once my whole body had felt it. What happens next? Nothing?

My surroundings started to lighten, and turned dark gray. Everything gradually changed, and reached a light gray before turning a blinding white in what seemed an instant. I squeezed my eyes shut from the slight burn of the light, and cautiously opened them once it had darkened enough outside my eyelids.

I first felt the cold air, the same air of the forest. It was loaded with the fresh smells of pine and frost. Then, I saw the familiar landscape. The same place where Pitch had stabbed me with that horrible knife. I looked down at my stomach, and cautiously touched it. It felt fine. Where did the knife go? And where did I get these clothes? I was clothed in a white dress, flowy, loose fitting and simple. I had little white ballet style slippers on my feet. I felt different. Like... like I had something extra added to me. I stood cautiously from the snow.

Seemingly out of the frosty air itself, a voice spoke to me.

"_. I am the Man on the Moon."

Startled, I lifted my head towards the sky in confusion.

"Wait, what?"

I found the moon hanging in the sky, full, and very much talking to me.

"I have chosen you to carry out an important honor, _. You are to be a Guardian."

"A Guardian? Like Jack? But why?"

"You have demonstrated courage in the face of fear. This courage is rare in the world, and children need you to protect them. I have tranformed you into a Guardian Angel. You must find your center, and use it to defend the defenseless."

"But, how am I a Guardian Angel?"

The voice went silent. I was getting tired of this whole alone thing.

I had so many more questions though. What about Pitch? What's up with the knife? And these clothes? And where the heck is Jack? I looked at the snowy ground. And why am I not freezing? I mean, I can feel the cold, but it didn't make me shiver. How was any of this possible? I put one foot after the other, making a new trail through the trees. I stopped when something caught my eye. A bow and sheath of beautiful arrows rested propped up against a tree. I strided over, and picked them up. I glanced at the moon. Where they for me? Well, Guardian Angels must have something to guard with, right? They were both artfully crafted. The bow was made of a silvery metal, and felt cool in my warm hands. It was etched with swirls and patterns of leaves along the entire length. The sheath was also metal, and held about a dozen arrows made of the same metal as the bow. The feathers were pearly white on the end of each arrow. I drew one out if the sheath, and held it out in the moonlight. It shimmered in my hand, and I felt the arrow head with my finger gingerly. It was made of a shiny, steely metal. Not like the arrow shaft's lustrous silver. They were all beautiful though. The sheath was etched with leaf designs like the bow, and the strap was made of soft, dark brown leather. I slung the sheath over my shoulder onto my back, and felt it hit something.

I looked over my shoulder with curiosity. What the...?

I had wings! Huge, shimmery, white wings! I was in shock, but quickly pulled myself back into reality. I jumped up and down in place, realizing what all of this meant. I experimentally tried stretching one out, and it felt as if I had an extra pair of arms. It was easy, and felt just a tad unnatural. I flapped one, and then the other. Could I really fly? I lifted them both in unison, tilted my face to the moon's light, and brought them down with all of the force I could muster.

My feet hovered above the ground as my wings flapped behind me, propelling me forward. There was a tree ahead, and I quickly adjusted myself. I shot high into the air, out of the forest below. The wind rushed through my hair, and blew it straight back. I could feel the power driving my new wings to move. It felt wonderful. I flew higher, until I was closer to the moon than I had ever been. I stared at the white face above me, and felt the new purpose bestowed upon me. I had to find my center. I needed to. Then I could protect children from Pitch. And whatever else. I looked down at my bow, and felt the weight of the sheath full of arrows on my back. I could do it. I would be strong. For the ones who couldn't.

Then, a sharp thought pushed its way to the front of my mind.

_Find Jack._

I closed my wings, and brought them tight to my body. I fell like a stone, heading straight for the forest. As I neared the trees, I extended my wings and let the air catch in the feathers. I slowed, and glided over the tree tops, looking down on the snow below. I felt the cold intensifying. I must be heading towards him. I could fell it.

I slowed my glide, and dropped to the ground once I came to a clearing. A familiar one. The one where I had practiced with Jack. The one with the wolf.

The one with Jack kneeling in the snow. Crying over something.

I could hear each shaky breath from across the snow. His back shook and trembled. I started to run towards him, wanting to see what was wrong. As I neared, his head shot up. He must have heard me coming. I stopped in my tracks. He turned to face me, and his jaw dropped in surprise. Tears soaked his face, and he looked miserable. Then he stood, and left his staff in the snow. We both stood, staring awkwardly at eachother for a couple moments.

"_? How are you here?"

"What do you mean, Jack?"

I came closer, and walked right up to him after pausing in the snow.

"_. I... But, you're..."

He seemed at a loss for words, and I glanced over his shoulder to see what he was crying about earlier. I met his eyes with concern.

"Jack, who died?"

His eyes looked full of so many emotions. There was definite guilt, and also some sorrow. There was a hint of longing, for the truth, and a pinch of hatred. For who though? Surely not me?

He stepped aside, revealing the small, wooden cross. On the grave were fresh, white flowers. And a handful of snowberries.

"You did, _. I can't believe you're really here, though. I thought... I thought that I had lost you forever."

I turned to him, forcing my eyes to break away from the eerie sight. Me?

"Are you saying that Pitch... He actually killed me?"

Jack only nodded before stepping closer to me. He pulled me into a hug, and held me tight. He had thought that I was gone from him, forever. I could feel him kiss me on top of my head. I couldn't imagine what he felt. Losing someone, then witnessing them come back. It had to be emotionally unnerving. I hugged him back, and we finally let go. He looked at me, and actually smiled.

"I'm so... Relieved that you're ok. That the Man on the Moon gave you a second chance. Like he did to me."

I stretched my wings, and Jack's smile became more prominent.

"What did he tell you?"

"That I'm to be a Guardian Angel."

"That's amazing! And I'm guessing that you got those from him too?"

I gestured to my bow, and smiled.

"Ya! I found them when I went looking for you."

His face took a more serious look.

"You didn't see Pitch, did you?"

"No. I didn't."

He looked at his feet, and then at my face.

"When I find him... I'll make him pay for what he did to you."

I only gave a slight nod. Not even a full one. I didn't know what to say or think.

He took my hand, and we flew away from the clearing. Away from so many emotions and my resting place. It left an odd impression on me. Like I was leaving my old, unhappy self, and starting something completely new with Jack. Something much better. The moon smiled down on us, certain that both of our futures were bright.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N : **I guess I'll keep going with the story? Merry Christmas everyone!

Chapter 13

After that night, I traveled with Jack to the North Pole. He introduced me to North, Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny. They were all standing in a circle when I landed with Jack in the room. I immediately noticed the large globe of lights behind them.

"Everyone, I want you to meet _."

Tooth flew right up to me, shook my hand eagerly, and proceeded to open my mouth with her fingers. I jumped back in surprise, and stumbled to the ground. Jack ran over to help me to my feet.

"_. This is Tooth. She's the Tooth Fairy, if you couldn't tell."

"Sorry _. I just get so excited when I meet new people!"

Jack leaned down to whisper in my ear, so that Tooth didn't hear him.

"She did the same thing to me when I first got here."

I eyed her, but ended up walking back over. I went up to her, and opened my mouth. She smiled and looked inside, touching each tooth.

"Your teeth are perfect! So... so white! It must be because of your transformation into an angel."

I visited Sandy next. He seemed calm enough. He stood there quietly, watching me. Then, he held out his hand, and I shook it. I pulled my hand back reflexively though when I felt his hand. It felt like sand. The same sand that made Pitch's knife. Sandy looked at me, eyes confused. A little question mark appeared over his head.

"I'm sorry, it's just that... Well, your hand feels like... Um. Sand? There's nothing wrong with that though, I'm just..."

I looked over to Jack for help.

"Just tell him. It's ok."

I took a breath, then told Sandy and the others what happened with Pitch and I.

"I was killed by Pitch. With a knife made of black sand. That's why the sand startled me a bit. But it's ok. Sandy, you're good."

Everyone's eyes widened at that news. Sandy took my hand, and lightly patted it, trying to give me assurance I think. North stepped forward, and shook my hand heartily.

"Is good to meet you, _. "

He smiled down on me, and reminded me of a grandfather I never had. I especially liked his accent. With a gentle push, he directed me towards Bunny. Jack appeared by my side, and the two had a staredown. Men. I lightly pushed Jack out of my way, so that I could meet Bunny. I held out my hand, and he smiled as he shook it with his furry paw.

"Nice ta meet ya, love."

He had a strange accent, unlike North's, but I found it appealing. I had never heard it before, but it reminded of an English accent. Just rougher around the edges.

"Where are you from, Bunny?"

"Down unda."

"I'm sorry?"

"The Land Down Under? Ya know, Australia?"

"Oh."

I smiled at him, and nodded in understanding.

"I've never heard of Australia being called that before."

Jack snickered at Bunny's face.

"Hm. Maybe I should take ya there then sometime."

I could feel the cold radiating off of Jack as he stood next to me. Was that jealously? I laughed to myself. I grabbed his arm, and tugged him away from Bunny, back to everyone else. Tooth spoke first.

"So, _. The Man on the Moon wants you to find your center. Any idea what it might be, sweety?"

I turned to her.

"Well, he did say that he saved me because of my courage against Pitch. But I don't think that that's it. I guess I really don't know yet."

North spoke up.

"Well, that's alright! You will find your center on your own! Like we all did."

Bunny gave a nod in my direction, and Sandy gave a thumbs up. Jack smiled at me like always. I would find my center. How hard could it be?

Hard apparently. They all wanted to train me. Tooth volunteered to help with my flying abilities. They weren't the best. North wanted to help me with my bow and arrow practice. Bunny had a few ideas for my stealth. Even Sandy wanted to show me some of Pitch's weak spots. And then there was Jack. I was definitely closer to him than all of the others. He would help me with my fear. If I could rid myself of that weakness, I would be able to hold my own against Pitch.

Flying was first of course. I could do the basic forwards and upwards motions, but sideways, down, and backwards were close to impossible. It was also a bit difficult learning from someone who had different wings entirely. Tooth had hummingbird wings, while mine were much larger hawk looking wings. They were a bit clumsier. Ok, a lot clumsier. Still, someone had to teach me, and she was the best candidate. We headed for her domain through a portal with Jack.

"Ok hunny, just show me what you can do so far."

I raised my wings above my head, and brought them down hard. I bounced into the air, and climbed higher, straight up, until closing them to my body. I fell towards the ground, and let them out like sails to catch the air. I slowed a bit before landing on the golden platform. I looked up, and a small crowd of little fairies had gathered around Jack and Tooth. Everyone was watching me.

"Um. That's all I got."

Tooth smiled at my words. She came over and began inspecting my wings, making small "hmmm"s and "huh"s as she circled me. Jack raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged my shoulders. No idea man. No idea.

She finally backed up and gave me a little smile.

"I have an idea."

She turned to her fairies, snapped her fingers, and watched as they all came rushing to her. They fluttered about her, waiting for instructions.

"Girls, I need your help. We need to teach _ how to fly. What we're going to do... is steer her. Now, everybody, get into positions!"

I gave Tooth a look that said "Um... Ok?"

Jack walked closer, and asked me a question.

"Do you want me to come up too? To help?"

I looked at all of the little fairies, and Tooth, surrounding me.

"I think I'll be ok."

"Well, I'll be down here then, if you need me."

He gave me a pat on the shoulder, and went back to the edge of the platform, where he sat. I looked at Tooth.

"Go ahead and do what you did earlier, and the girls will help move your wings the right way to turn."

I nodded, raised my wings, and lifted up into the air. The fairies got on either side of me, then positioned themselves against my wings. It felt funny, and I shifted my wings around. I could hear them squeaking at me to stop throwing them around.

"Sorry..."

I slowed my wings down enough to where the fairies could tilt them, and I felt myself changing directions. Tooth hovered just in front of me, directing the fairies. I started to lean right, and memorized the tilt of the wings. Tooth ordered the fairies to let go, and I began turning in wide circles on my own. I reversed the tilt without help, and did arcs the other way. Tooth beamed at me, and the fairies cheered in squeaks. Jack clapped his hands below.

**A/N : **Please let me know if you want me to continue. Thanks :D


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N : **Daaaaang... There's like a million reviews! I'm gonna cry :D and thanks for the advice on being careful about rushing things. I need to slow it down a bit. I reread the whole thing and noticed that. Sometimes you just need to pause and look at the whole story. Ok. Here's the next one...

Chapter 14

I continued the simple task of turning and actually, I got pretty good at it. I even went as far as making them tighter and tighter, until I could turn on a dime. I was proud of myself, as was Tooth, the fairies and Jack. Now, I needed to know how to fly backwards. Since Tooth was pretty much a hummingbird, she could do all kinds of directions. Her favorite: backwards. What luck. She approached me with the fairies a second time, and everyone got into their positions. I found that hovering wasn't that hard, especially with a couple hundred fairies holding you up, but that's not important. I could hover. Then, the fairies tilted my wings back a bit, and I started sliding backwards through the air. It felt a little scary, because I couldn't see where I was going. I looked down on the buildings of Tooth's kingdom. Everything was bright and colorful. It reminded me of the board game Candy Land. I could see Jack, watching me from below. He must have gotten bored, and I saw him make his way upwards towards everyone.

"Hey, Tooth. I can take over for the last lesson, if you want."

Tooth glanced at her fairies. They looked worn out.

"Well... Ok. Come on girls, let's go get some teeth. And Jack? She still needs to learn how to fly down. Not fall. Fly."

Tooth went off with her fairies in tow. I hovered in the air in front of Jack. I asked the obvious.

"So... How are you gonna teach me?"

"I honestly have no idea. I don't know about you, but I like improvising."

He had a mischievious grin when he saw my suspicious face. What did he have in mind? Hopefully not falling. It scared me so much to fall. Even if I did have wings. It felt so unnatural. Hopefully I would get used to it. Jack looked like he was thinking, his arms crossed, and looking intently at me.

"Hmmm. Let's see..."

He flew a quick circle around me, and returned to the front.

"I guess I could just let you try... Over and over. And I could be your safety net. Like trial and error. Just safer. Wanna do that?"

"Well, no. But I don't have much if a choice, do I?"

"That's the beauty of it."

I sighed, looked at the roof tops of the shining towers, and flew a bit higher. The pointy spires of gold seemed too close. Jack followed me up, and I hovered, waiting for him.

"Ok. So just... Try?"

He nodded at me. Well then. Here we go? I stopped my wings altogether, and started falling. I positioned my head to face the ground, and fell faster. Then, I tried to actually fly, not fall. My wings were glued to my sides by the rushing air. Well, this sucked. I looked around for Jack, and noticed him right beside me. He raised his eyebrows, asking if he should intervene. I took his hand, and he flew up away from the buildings, pulling me behind him. I broke out of the fall, and flapped my wings, hovering. That was a total fail. I face palmed, then looked at Jack.

"Well, trying on my own sucks. Any better-"

"Hey. You only tried _once."_

"Ya, it's just that..."

His face wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Again?"

"Again."

I flew higher, gaining distance once more from the sharp roofs below, and waited a minute, thinking of the best way to do this. I flashbacked to a movie I had seen a long time ago. There was a scene where an angel came down from the clouds. How did she fly again? Head up, wings slow... That must be it! She looked like she was standing. I would try that next.

"Jack, I think I figured it out. I need to stay upright. Like if I was standing. And I need to slow my wings down."

"Sounds like a good plan. I mean, if you like that sort of thing."

I laughed a little, and tried to ease my nervousness. Jack was here, he would catch me. It was perfectly safe. I glanced at him, then slowed my wings a bit. I lost a couple feet in altitude. I slowed more, and descended gradually. I smiled at Jack, who floated beside me. He grinned back, and I slowed even more. I half flew, half fell towards the towers of color, and felt cold arms pull up on me. I looked at Jack in confusion. He looked frightened.

"I'm ok Jack, I meant to go that fast."

"Oh."

He let me go, and I carefully hovered next to him. He looked embarrassed, and I decided to not torture him with my gaze. I turned, and looked down. Sure was pretty.

"Well, um. Looks like your lessons are done. Where are we going next?"

"Hold on, I wanna stay a little longer."

I flew straight up, as fast as I could, and was surprised to find Jack floating in the same spot below. I flew back down, slowly, as I had done before.

"Um. You coming? Maybe you could teach me a faster way down?"

"You mean falling?"

"Ya. But the right way. Like controlled falling. With steering."

He took my hand, and tugged me up into the air, past a couple clouds. When he stopped, he looked at me.

"I'm going to fly right beside you, ok?"

"Ok?"

He pulled me down, air rushing into my face, towards the ground. I could hear him laughing. My wings were glued to my sides again, but Jack's hand was there to guide me. We rocketed through the sky, head first.

"I'm gonna let go, ok?!"

I yelled back through the wind.

"Ok!"

His hand left mine, and I free fell. He was right beside me though, an arms length away.

"Lean towards me, _!"

I leaned with my shoulders and wings towards him, and knocked right into his side. I hadn't expected that, and neither did he. He managed to grab my shoulders and stop me from flailing around though. Then, once I was stable again, he let go. I carefully leaned away, and steered myself back to my place beside him. I leaned right and left, weaving through the air. It was easy when you realized that the smallest change made you drift a great distance.

The ground started to show through the clouds. I quickly thought up a way to pull out of my fall. Just let my wings out carefully? They might be yanked back from the air. That would hurt. I decided to gingerly stretch them a couple inches away from my sides, and was rewarded with the feeling of slowing down a bit. I let them out inches at a time, until I was slow enough to let them out fully. I caught the wind, and sailed upwards away from the city. Jack was behind me, but sped up to reach my side. We glided together over the colorful towers and platforms of gold. Everything seemed to be covered in glitter. It reminded me of my home, the snow, the forest. Especially the pond.

**A/N : **In answering someone's question: the character/you has the same color hair as before. She looks the same... But she's got wings. Unless you want her to have white hair. That's up to you. Actually, that's not a bad idea. So, if you think your hair should be white from now on, let me know in reviews or PMs, if not, just tell me. If there are a bunch if you that want white hair... I'll go with it. I'll even add something to the chapter where she wakes up. Ok everybody, please let me know! Thanks so much! Need to know before writing Chapter 15!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N : **I've decided that you guys should just imagine the character as you want. I mean, they are you. And you should be whatever you want. So if you want white hair, imagine the character that way, if not, just keep the original idea you have if them. Thanks for letting me know! It really helps me write.

Chapter 15

When my flying lessons were finished, and when I felt comfortable in the air, Jack and I used the portal to go back to North's workshop. Colors blended and swirled as we traveled through the portal, and we hopped out onto the stone and tile floors of the workshop. Heat could be felt on my back, and I turned around to see the large fireplace devouring logs of wood. Light was thrown out everywhere. Onto the walls, across the floors, and onto North's bearded face.

"Good morning to you both! Isn't it beautiful outside?"

He looked over to thermometer, and laughed.

"-17. What a treat, ya?"

Jack nodded. I shook my head no. The yetis laughed. The elves... they were doing nothing helpful. I saw one running from another with a blowtorch, and a whole group of them playing darts with scissors. I asked Norh why the yetis were the only ones doing any work.

"Hey North, aren't the elves supposed to be making the toys?"

He leaned down to me and whispered so that only Jack and I could hear.

"Do you see what they consider work?! We just let them think that..."

Jack smiled and turned to me.

"That's what he told me when I asked."

"When did you ask?"

"When I first came here. When I was summoned to be a Guardian. Like you."

"Oh."

"Come you two. You are like _peas in_ _pod, _yes?"

North chuckled to himself, and led us towards the enormous doors to the outside. Jack had a small reddness to his cheeks, and I could feel my face heat up. North turned to face us, and looked at me for a moment.

"Sure you won't be cold, little one?"

I looked down at my thin dress and little slippers.

"Oh, um... Well, I think I might be."

I wished for warm clothes badly, and missed my jacket and boots sorely. You would think that I wouldn't be vulnerable to cold, but I still felt it. It was less frigid, but it was still there. I was glad for that actually. I wanted to keep some part of my humaness. Was that even a word? _Humaness. _Guess it was now. I was brought back to reality when I felt staring.

North and Jack were staring at me, and I looked down at myself. My delicate, little white dress was replaced with a white fur coat, white leggings of some sort, and white fur boots. I felt them, feeling the velvety texture and fluffy fur trim on everything.

"What the... Where did this all come from?"

I held up part of my jacket, looking at it. North and Jack stepped closer. North spoke up.

"After you said you'd be cold, your clothes became sparkles!"

His eyes were full of wonder, like a kid's.

Jack joined in.

"And then, it went away, and you were wearing that. Like you changed your clothes with your mind. What were you thinking about?"

"How I missed my old clothes. My coat and boots and warm stuff. Back at the cabin."

North scratched his beard.

"You must have strong power to do that."

I raised my eyebrows. How 'bout that? Then I really started thinking. What if I can make my bow and arrows appear? I had a feeling I could. I had left them on the large seat by the fire. I closed my eyes, and concentrated. I filled my thoughts with the bow, and the arrows. Then, I opened my eyes when I felt a new weight in my hands.

There they were. It was unbelievable, but the cool metal was definitely there. And the seat by the fire was empty. Jack and North were practically jumping up and down.

"That's crazy _!"

"This is amazing!"

When we all calmed down, it was time to put everything I had to the test.

North gripped the oversized, brass handles, and swung the doors open. I could see a glimpse of wonderful carvings in the grand doors as we passed over the threshold. Frosty air rushed towards us from the tundra ahead, and Jack took off for the sky. He yelled back at me.

"I'll be back in a minute _!"

A trial of frost followed him as he rose into the thin clouds.

"Where's he going?"

"Ah, he just needs some cold air."

We started walking towards the flat white expanse before us.

"You know _, I haven't seen Jack act so... Kindly to someone as he does to you."

"Really? Wonder why..."

"I think he _likes _you."

"How can you be sure?"

"Little one, I can feel it in my belly."

"What?"

We laughed and continued walking around the outside of the workshop. The dawn's light cast across the snow, and glinted off the workshop's glass windows. It reminded me of home.

"Ah, there's the boy."

Jack approached us, and landed expertly in the snow before walking over.

"Ok, I'm back. I saw some polar bears to the west. There were a bunch. I think they're hunting or something."

"Well, we will go east then. Come, this way."

North went around the side of the workshop, and opened a large door that resembled a garage. The inside had all kinds of stuff. Old tools and lots of blocks of ice. North went over to a block that resembled a circle, and rolled it out of the place and into the snow. He brought some tools out and began messing with the ice. Jack smiled, but I couldn't see what he was doing. Then, he stepped away to reveal a target he had carved from the ice. It had rings and a bullseye in the center. It also had little carvings in each ring. It looked too pretty to shoot.

"Do you think my arrows will go trough the ice?"

"That's why we're here, little one."

He rolled the ice target further away, and with Jack's help set up the whole thing in a mound of snow. They both came back, and North went back into the little garage behind us. He held throwing knifes when he came to stand beside me.

"Here, Jack, you take some."

Jack grabbed a couple from North, and looked at me expectantly.

"Ladies first."

**A/N : **So, I'm thinking that North is like her godfather or something. He wants to protect her and keep her from trouble. That's how I'm trying to create him as in the story. Is that what you guys are getting from him? Please tell me. :) and the next chapter has Bunny in it. Get ready for some jealously! I think of Bunny as that one guy who's a frenemy. He doesn't have a huge problem with Jack, but he loves to get under his skin and make him mad.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N : **Hey everybody! So many reviews and input for this chapter! Thanks a lot! And this is horribly late: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I want everyone to have a successful and awesome 2013! Anybody have any resolutions? Goals? Eh, same thing, right? I wanna have a clean room. And grow another inch before turning 17. That's it for now though. :) easy enough, right? Watch me fail miserably. Haha :D and I got to shoot a bow over at my cousin's house, and I kinda suck. What's important about that experience, is that now I know what it feels like, so my writing will slightly improve... Maybe. About the shooting part. :P ok here it is- HOLY CRAP! My brother shot airsoft pellets at my door! Jerk. They're so loud! Ok, NOW here's the story...

Chapter 16

I stepped up, bow already strung with a lethal arrow. I raised the bow over my head ,and grasped the string with two fingers while the white feathers rested between them. In one fluid motion, I pushed the bow down in an arc to align it with the target, and tugged back on the string. The metal bent slightly as the tension became present. My arms had a slight burning sensation from the pressure. I guess even I could feel pain. It was a lot less than what I was used to though. I breathed in, looking down the arrow's length, eyeing the ice target at the tip of the arrowhead. I noticed the distance, and tilted the tip up a bit. I could feel the cool metal of the bow on my face. I exhaled, then barely flexed my fingertips, straightening them, and felt the string rush forward, arrow in tow. The feather sliced harmlessly at my face as it flew by on it's way to the target. The string barely made contact with my hand which gripped the bow, and sprung back to it's original position before the arrow had even hit the target. Half a second later, a sharp *fwick* echoed. The metal arrowhead had lodged it's way into the solid ice somehow.

North and Jack grinned at me, and we all went to the target downrange. The shiny metal tip of the arrow was embedded far into the ice. It had small cracks around the entire contact point, which branched outwards. The entire target was cracked and split into many slabs of ice. North felt the ice, then shoved the entire block over onto its back. It thunked as it hit the snow, then separated into the many chunks of ice. I grabbed the arrow from the shards, and inspected it. It was still as straight as... well, an arrow. I put it back in my sheath, and we walked back to the small garage.

North quickly assembled more targets, not bothering to alter them. They were going to be shattered anyways. After setting up a dozen fresh blocks of ice with Jack, both came back to stand by me.

North nodded at me, and so did Jack. I strung my bow, pulled back with everything I had, then let the first one fly towards its mark. I faintly heard ice cracking, and already had my next arrow loaded. It hit the block squarely, and a chunk fell to the ground. Every target broke with one arrow. A chorus of chaos filled the air as shattering and crackling resounded. The arrows pierced the targets like glass, when the target should have stood against a sword attack.

"Your weapons are special, little one."

I looked at North, and noticed that he still had his throwing knives, as did Jack. Stepping back, I gestured towards the range. There were still some targets standing. North stepped up, and threw his knives through the air with ease. They spun in mid air and klinked into the faces of several targets, each one sticking in. He smiled and let Jack try. He stepped up like a pro, and even winked at me. North shook his head, and rested his face in his hand when he saw how Jack was holding his knife.

"No Jack! You must hold knife like this..."

North showed Jack his own knife, and how he held it by the blade, not the handle. Jack's pale face flushed, and he stuttered.

"Pssh, ya I knew that."

He went back over to his throwing spot, and held the knife by the blade. He raised it, and remembering North's technique, put spin on the knife as he threw it. It tumbled through the air before finding its spot near the center on the target. North clapped for him, and I did too.

"Not bad, Мальчик."

Jack and I turned to face North.

"What?"

"Мальчик."

Jack looked at him with his best "You're kidding, right?" face.

"We no speakedey Russian."

I scolded Jack.

North sighed.

"Мальчик means boy."

"Ohhhhhh..."

"Ya."

We all laughed and waited for Jack to continue his throwing. He decided that throwing knives weren't as fun as icicles though. He conjured up storms of them, and sent them rushing through the air towards the several targets. I asked him how he did it.

"I use the wind."

After target practice, it was around noon, or so North had said. The sun was on the horizon here the whole day. Half the year was light, half the year was dark in the North Pole. Right now, it was summer here. I hugged my arms closer to my body to keep from shivering. North had gone abead of us back to the workshop to prepare lunch. I noticed that Jack was walking beside me back to the main doors.

"Oh, sorry."

He moved a couple feet away from me.

"It's ok, I'm not that cold."

"In that case..."

He came closer to me and bumped my shoulder. I flew sideways into the snow, landing in the white fluff.

"Jack!"

He laughed and doubled over at the sight of me.

My wings were disheveled, and snow was stuck to my hair and clothes. My face was red from the sudden chill, and embarrassment. If I couldn't anticipate a surprise attack from Jack, how was I supposed to fight Pitch?

I waited for Jack to come closer, and saw my opportunity. He offered his hand to help me up, and I grabbed it, pulling him over my head, flipping him into the snow. I saw his surprised face as he passed over me in an instant. He flopped onto his back, and he stared at the sky for a moment, probably in shock.

After a moment, he tried to get up, but found that my booted foot, which was on his chest, wouldn't permit any movement. I stood there, looking like Captain Morgan, waiting for the obvious, an apology. Apparently, Jack had no idea what I wanted.

With an evil grin on his face, he grabbed my foot, twisted it off of his chest, and laughed uncontrollably as I fell onto him. It wasn't a soft landing either.

"Ow."

My muffled voice protested from his hoodie.

"Well, what did you expect?!"

He let out another laugh directed towards me. I lifted my head from his hoodie, then blushed. Talk about awkward. He smiled down at me, and I quickly rolled off of him into the snow. I got up first, then pulled him to his feet. We stood in the silence, facing eachother. He finally admitted defeat.

"Sorry."

I smiled back.

"Apology accepted-"

I flung the snowball at him that was hidden in my hand. His face was the perfect target.

"-not!"

"_! "

He wiped the snow from his once again shocked expression.

He chased me to the door. I was willing to do anything to escape that awkward moment in the snow. Snowball to the face? Definitely.

I flung it open, using all my strength, and ran down the hall to the heart of the workshop. I could hear the wind rushing behind me, growing colder every second. I looked back, and there he was. His face was set and determined. Playful fear tugged at my heart. I felt like a child again, playing tag with my parents. It was an old memory, but a good one. Time to fly. I lifted into the air, above the laughing yetis and wide eyed elves. I pushed my wings harder, until I had made it to the top of the workshop. There were plenty of landing spots in this darker spot. Secluded too. It was a long way down to the bustling below. I found a ledge and landed soundlessly on it. The air grew chillier, and smiling, I retreated to the small corner behind me. I drew my wings up around me, hoping to hide myself better.

"_? I know you're up here somewhere... "

I peeked out from my spot and laughed quietly to myself. Jack was spinning in circles, looking for me. Then, he stopped moving, and listened. He tilted his head a bit, and slowly turned to face my spot. What was he listening for? I held my breath, and felt suspense build up in my muscles. He was getting closer, should I bolt?

I sprung from my spot, wings tucked in tight, and fell. I smiled as I heard Jack rush after me. The air became freezing, and I felt his hand grab my boot. He tugged me back up to the top of the workshop, and I laughed the entire way. It was the most fun I had ever had. He let me go, and we both hovered in the air, laughing.

"Gotcha."

I then noticed the snowball in his raised hand, and covered my face.

"Relax. I'll let ya go. As long as you..."

He pondered what my task would be.

"Eh. What the heck. Just sit by me."

He dropped the snowball, and we watched as it hit some hapless elf on the head far below. I smiled at him, then leaned in and gave him a quick, harmless kiss on the cheek.

"Sure I will."

I took off for the workshop below, rushing through the air, thinking nothing of the kiss. To me, it was a sign of my forgiveness, and an apology for the snowball I had thrown. I paused when I felt the absence of cold air, and looked back up at him.

"You coming?"

"Ya... I'm coming."

He rushed to join me as we headed for the dining room.

**A/N : **Sorry that Bunny didn't show up yet. New ideas came to light as you can see. So, how bout that kiss, huh? XD oh man, you have no idea what you did to Jack! What do ya think went through his mind? :D


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N : Hi :) I've had so much studying and reviewing for semester finals! But now I've finished this chapter! Finally! It took forever! Sorry for the huge wait you guys. **

Chapter 17

The dining room was unique. It had rustic furniture, but also had an elegant fireplace and chandelier adorning much of the space. The huge window behind the table gave a panoramic view of the icy wonderland outside.

The long, wooden table was already set, and everyone except Jack and I were seated. We hurried over to the last two empty chairs, and Jack, being a perfect gentleman for once in his life, actually moved my chair and pushed it in for me. Only a moment ago he was threatening me with a snowball. I laughed inside my mind, and came to attention when North spoke up. He was seated at the head of the table.

"Lunch is served!"

Elves came trotting into the room with platters held high above their heads. They seemed to be working in teams, one holding the tray, while the other lifted the enormous lid. Plate after silver plate, each loaded with all kinds of food, was raised and left on the table. A thought crossed my mind as I looked at Tooth. Did the Guardians eat much? Like humans? I know I wasn't really hungry, and I hadn't eaten in days. But I'm an angel. Maybe Jack and I are different? Sandy surely didn't eat though. I decided to ask out of curiosity.

"Ah-hem. Um, I have a really weird question..."

Everyone paused their eating, and 5 pairs of expectant eyes looked at me.

"I'm just curious... I don't feel like I have to eat, but I will, because, hey? Who doesn't like food? I'm just wondering if any of you have to eat. Like to stay alive. Or does everyone have a choice? Like, Sandy, is it necessary for you to eat?"

Sandy shook his head no, but smiled and took a bite out of a turkey leg. Bunny spoke next.

"I eat because I have to. Bunny's use a lot of energy hoppin' around like we do. 'Specially in Australia. Gotta dodge them dingos."

Jack raised his eyebrows at that.

Tooth smiled at me.

"Me too. I have to fly, and my wings take up a lot of energy. Being part hummingbird requires a lot of calorie intake."

North was last.

"You know I eat cookies all the time, little one. I have to eat, just like any human."

Jack looked over at me.

"You already know about me. I'm like you."

I nodded.

There were so many foods to choose from. A large bowl of chocolate pudding sat several feet from me, and I wanted to try some.

"Hey, um, Jack? Could you pass me that pudding over there?"

He reached out, grabbing the silver bowl, and used the spoon inside to scoop out some pudding onto my plate.

"That enough?"

"Mhm. Thanks."

He smiled a little and put the bowl back down. I reached over to grab a croissant from the bread basket beside me, and tossed it onto my plate before putting some butter on it. What else should I get? I was craving something mustardy, and saw my salvation. Devilled eggs seeming to have descended from heaven were on a platter in front of me. I scooped three of them onto my plate, and started to eat. The pudding was rich, and reminded me of hot chocolate. Just creamier. The croissant was awesome, and so were the devilled eggs. They even had paprika sprinkled on top. Just like my mom used to make them. Then it hit me. Everything on my plate was something my parents had always made around the holidays. My dad made the croissants, and my mother also made the pudding besides the devilled eggs.

"Something wrong with the croissants, little one?"

I hadn't realized that I was staring at the last part of the croissant in my hand until North had spoken.

"Oh, no. It's delicious! It just reminds me of my dad. He always made them around Christmas every year. Who made them?"

"I did."

I held up the last bit at North, who was grinning.

"Well, they're delicious. Good job."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like them."

I ate the last part, and glanced over to Jack after he nudged me with his elbow.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Mhm. I'm fine."

"Ok."

He turned back to his plate, and continued eating his food. He had two turkey legs, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce in front of him. It was like a mini thanksgiving. I finished the chocolate pudding, and asked North another question.

"Do you always eat like this? It's like a feast."

"Once in awhile, we all get together and do this, when we're all around that is. Good food, and good company."

I nodded in understanding.

After lunch was over, the elves rushed in to clear the table, and carried off platters back to the kitchen.

Tooth had teeth to attend to, and North had a factory to oversee. Sandy left to go to the dark side of the world. And Bunny stood across from Jack and I.

"Ready for your lesson, love?"

"Yep."

Bunny started to walk off, leading Jack and I outside. While following him, Jack leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"This is the lesson I'm dreading the most."

I whispered back.

"Why? It's just stealth, right?"

"Ya, it's just that he's teaching it to you."

"I heard that, mate. Forget I was a bunny, with these huge ears, did you? You don't deserve the title Mate anyways."

Jack's face turned into one of dislike, and I laughed at it. Why couldn't these two just get along?

Once outside, Bunny turned around to face me, put his arm around me, thumped his foot on the ground, and spoke to Jack before a hole appeared below us.

"Try and keep up."

Then, Bunny jumped with me holding on, into the dark hole below us. I trusted him though. We rushed through the ground, speeding for a great distance in the dim light. Jack was flying right behind us, a look of disapproval on his face. He let his staff drag along the side of tunnel, and swung it around in a full circle several times, making a spiral of frost on the sides as we traveled. I smiled at him, and he lightly smiled back.

Finally, we arrived at Bunny's domain. If I were to describe it in one word, I would have to say green. The color was everywhere! The place even had a slight green tint to the sunlight. The sparkling grass must be reflecting the light back into the air. It was beautiful here, as grand as Tooth's palace in its own, natury way.

"Here we are, love."

Bunny let me down onto the grass, and I noticed my boots and jacket. I closed my eyes.

"Give me a second."

I heard Bunny ask Jack a question.

"Um, what's she doing, mate?"

"Just watch, you enormous kangaroo."

I heard someone get punched, but I concentrated on a memory of a dress I used to have. It was purple, and perfect for spring. I recalled the detail of the lace trim, and how the dress felt. I waited a moment, crossing my fingers, before opening my eyes. I looked down immediately at myself, and saw that my jacket had disappeared, along with my boots. I was barefoot, and had a white, lacier version of my springtime dress. Bunny had a look of admiration.

"Cool trick, love. How'd ya do that?"

"I concentrate on a memory of a piece of clothing I once wore, and I change. I can also make my bow and arrows appear."

Bunny had a look of contemplation as he considered my abilities, then motioned for me to follow him over to a garden. Jack came along, and Bunny looked back in disappointment, then sighed.

"Don't. Freeze. Anything. Got it?"

"Whatever."

"I mean it, mate. These flowers are one of a kind."

I continued to follow Bunny to the top of a hill, which overlooked an entire field of high grass. It reminded me of something from Jeepers Creepers, or Children of the Corn, or Signs. Except that everything was beautiful, and perfectly safe. Hopefully. Definitely. This is where the Easter Bunny lived.

"Alright. I'm gonna show you how to blend in with your surroundings. Take a look around you. Grass everywhere. Like the Outback."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Hey! I saw that, you little twerp!"

I tapped him on the shoulder, trying to prevent a fight.

"You were saying, Bunny?"

"Grass everywhere. So I'm gonna send you out for a couple minutes to hide, and uh, Jack and I here, will try to find you. If we can't after 10 minutes... You win. It's like a game."

"Um, ok. Sounds good."

I looked at the two boys before taking off over the field, hoping that no one would lose any teeth, or get a black eye while I was gone. I glided over the grass, noticing that I was about 4 feet tall in most places. I would have to crouch down to hide my wings from view. And it was too bad that the only things I wore seemed to be a stark white. I felt like I was in some sort of cereal commercial as I stood in the grass in my white dress. I spotted the boys, their backs turned away, high up on the hill. I hated being in a low spot. I felt like it was a disadvantage. Oh well. Time to hide. I crouched down low, and only let my eyes peek through the grass at Jack and Bunny. Wonder what they're talking about. Probably nothing.

Seconds later, they split up without appearing to talk. They must have a plan already. Jack flew at me from the left, and Bunny bounded down the hill towards my right. They seemed to be checking the rough perimeter of the field. It wouldn't be long until they came across me though. I had chosen the middle right part of the field to hide in, and started to regret it. Bunny would find me any second. I heard the grass swish behind me, and turned to find nothing, and when I turned back to the front, Bunny was in my face with a triumphant smile.

"Found ya, love. That was a little too easy though."

I jumped back in surprise, memory driving my response. Someone else had done that to me before. Snuck up on me. Just like that. But who?

Pitch. It was him, that day in the forest. After Jack and I had argued. The day I had ran into the blizzard. The day I died. I cleared my mind of those fresh memories, and focused on the present.

I had been caught.

"Dangit, Bunny. How'd you find me so fast?"

"You don't make any noise, but you sure are easy to spot."

Jack showed up beside him moments later.

I frowned down at my clothing. The white was pretty, but not practical if I was hiding. A thought struck me.

"Let's go again. I have an idea."

The boys raised their eyebrows, shrugged, and took off for the top of the hill. I was left in the midst of the grass. I reached over to some blades, and ripped of the ends. My palms had tiny cuts where the edges had sliced, but they quickly sealed up. I looked at my hand a while longer, then began rolling the grass all over my white dress. The familiar smell of grass and spring filled my nose as I smeared the green over my arms and legs as well. It would also cover my smell. I looked down, pleased with the familiar stains on my clothes. I could always think up a new dress if I had to. I would need to.

I took to the air a second time, and positioned myself carefully in the exact middle of the field. I waited.

Jack and Bunny took off down the sides of the hill, heading for the edges of the field, like before. I hunkered down in the grass, and waited for them to close in on me. After moments, the grass began to swish, and I made my move. I noiselessly moved forward, away from the center of the field. I thought that I had the lead against Jack and Bunny, but it was Jack who sprung up over the grass and tackled me.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N : **This was one of my favorite chapters to write. Just sayin.

Chapter 18

I felt the impact as I fell sideways into the grass. It was a relatively soft landing though. The ground wasn't as solid as it was at my cabin. I closed my eyes as I fell, an instict to protect them, something about me still human. Jack's weight pressed into my side, and I found it to be a little difficult to get up. His white haired head popped up from being buried into my side, and he had a grin on his face.

"What on earth happened to your clothes?"

"Camoflage. How'd you find me this time?"

He lifted himself off of me, and cautiously offered his hand, wary of what happened last time. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess I just got lucky."

I grabbed hold of his hand, and he tugged me up from the grass. We both turned to face Bunny when we heard thumping getting closer to us. Sure enough, he appeared out of the grass.

"Well, love. Looks like we've won yet again..."

He raised his eyebrows at my stained clothes. Green grass stains covered them, and a tinge of dirt dusted the edges of the lace.

"Although it looks like you've adapted quite well."

I smiled at him sheepishly.

Bunny looked up towards the sky. Time had flown by. There were hues of pink and orange in the clouds above us. The sun was on its last leg. Bunny motioned for us to follow him back up the hill.

Once we were back by the portal, I changed into a new dress, one I wore to a dance in highschool that was originally bright blue, now white.

"It was fun, love. Maybe we can do it again sometime."

I leaned in and hugged Bunny goodbye, and thanked him for all the help he gave me, well aware of Jack waiting impatiently over by the portal. With a wave, I vanished with Jack into the swirling colors, not sure where we were going next.

When the swirling stopped, I blinked hard, still not used to portal travel and it's dizzying effect. It was dark out, and I could make out distant shapes in the black around us. I couldn't see Jack, but I felt him next to me. An old fear of the dark came crawling back to me. I searched for Jack's hand in the dark, feeling like a small child. I found it and took hold, instantly feeling the cold radiate onto my skin.

"Where are we?"

"You'll see. Come on."

I could feel him gently tugging me forward through the black, and over the soft ground. There was grass between my toes, and damp earth under my feet. It smelled wonderful out here, wherever here was. It smelled like fresh rain. I looked up to the sky, and noticed the tiny sliver of the moon. It reminded me of a fingernail, or a smile, without eyes or a nose. We kept moving forward. It felt like summer in the air. A summer night. There were crickets and cicadas in the distance. I even heard the strange croak of a frog nearby. It was all foreign to me. I had lived in a place that had a record high of 54 degrees in the summer. The more we walked, the more humid the air seemed to get. It felt odd, but there was something about it that I liked.

We finally stopped when I heard water sliding along in front of us. I peered into the darkness, trying to see how much water there actually was. Under the faint light of the crescent, I saw a wide river in front of us. I curled my toes in the cool sand, realizing that we were on the bank of a giant river. I turned my face towards Jack's. he told me the river's name.

"The Mississippi, _. "

"It's beautiful."

I tilted my head back to see the band of stars above us. There was no artificial light around us for miles. We were in the middle of nowhere. I took a couple steps towards the river, pulling Jack behind me. I was startled at what he said next.

"Not as beautiful as you."

I turned around to see him in the dark, and we searched eachother's faces. Did he really just say that? I flashed back to the kiss, that harmless kiss. Or so I had thought. What did it mean to him? Obviously more than what I had intended. I could feel my face blush. I thanked the heavens for the mask of night.

"You're blushing aren't you?"

My eyes widened. Best not to lie.

"Ya. I am."

The cool water started to lap at my feet, sliding up to my ankles. I still held his hand in mine, wanting to let go, but refusing to because of my fear of being alone in the dark. I heard the sand shift as he came a bit closer to me, trying to see me in the dark. My heart did overtime. What did he think he was doing?

The silence between us was broken when his light laugh rang out.

"What's so funny?"

His eyes shone out from his face at me in the darkness. I could barely make out the curve of his lopsided grin. Then he spoke.

"_, remember earlier today, at Bunny's place? When I found you, even when you covered yourself in grass and dirt? Even when you hid your scent from Bunny?"

I nodded, recalling the tackle. My heart fluttered again. Jack laughed lightly again.

"I didn't just get lucky,_. I can hear your heartbeat."

He looked at me with earnest eyes. So that's why he was laughing. He could hear my heartbeat pick up.

"But, how did you know I blushed?"

His eyes gleamed again at me. Stupid heart. A grin appeared on his face.

"That time, I really did get lucky."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N : **Thank you so much for reviewing! I swear, everytime I check, there's a new one and I start dancing in little circles. It's just an awesome feeling to know that people are reading your story and telling you what they think. So thank you all, users and guests!

Chapter 19

I smiled at him. We went a little further into the tide of the river, hand in hand. I was glad to feel the coolness of the water, and realized that I was becoming quite warm from the humidity over the river. Jack seemed to pick up on this, and sent a gentle breeze of cold air in my direction.

"Oh, thanks."

He smiled in return, and we headed back towards the dark shore, wading through the black water. For some reason, I started to recall something that Pitch had said to me, back before I had died. He said that he thought that Jack loved me. That it was the reason why he wanted to kill me, to make Jack suffer. But did he succeed? Did Jack suffer when I died? I hadn't even thought about it until now. I felt selfish. He had to feel loss, which means that Pitch won. I wasn't completely sure though, as I looked at his smiling face. He seemed fine. I felt like it was still my responsibility to find out though.

I waited until we were both sitting in the sand by the shore, looking up at the sliver of the moon. I turned my head slightly at Jack, ready to ask the question. But I couldn't. What if he said no? That he didn't suffer? That would mean that I didn't mean much to him. I didn't want to risk facing that. Instead of speaking, I accidentally started to just look at him without really realizing it. He turned to face me, eyes expecting me to say something. Say it, they seemed to urge. I turned forward to look out across the river, and made my hands into fists burried in the sand. I wanted to know so badly, but was afraid of the answer. I realized that I wanted him to like me. I really was afraid of being alone.

"Um, you ok?"

"Huh? Oh, ya. I'm fine."

He was unconvinced.

"How 'bout you tell me the truth?"

I could hear the joking tone in his voice.

"Well..."

He raised his eyebrows, waiting.

I took a breath. Here we go.

"I... I just want to know. I wanna know if when I died..."

His face changed. I couldn't really tell what emotion was there, but it seemed darker.

"... if you were sad that I was gone."

The question sounded stupid out loud.

He dropped his eyes to the ground, then looked out across the river. They were like stones, impossible to read. There was a void of feeling in them, something strange, especially for Jack. They were always happy, or teasing, or on a rare occassion, sad. There was always something there. I became worried.

"What do you mean, _did you feel sad_?"

The emotion in him was back.

"Of course I did. I felt much more than sad. It was more like... grief, the worst I've ever experienced."

I fell silent. I hadn't expected that.

His eyes finally shifted to stare into mine. They weren't cheerful. They held pain.

"I had to _bury_ you."

His voice nearly cracked.

"I had to put you in the ground, knife and all, and throw dirt onto you. It was the most horrible thing I've ever done."

He kept his head up, looking at me the entire time. I stared back, my emotions jumbled up inside me. My eyes pricked with tears, until a couple slowly slid down my face. I couldn't help it.

"I'm so sorry Jack."

He dropped his eyes to the ground, but brought them up again.

"Don't apologize for your own death. What matters is that you're back. That I got you back."

He leaned over and wiped my tears off of my face.

"And I'm gonna keep the promise I made you."

I smiled faintly at the last words I heard from him as a human. That we were going to be ok.

I stopped crying, and looked up at the stars above us as Jack put his arm around me. I couldn't help but blush. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and tried to rest.

When I woke, the sky was golden above us.

Jack was on his back beside me, appearing to be asleep. I sat up, shook the sand out of my dress, and stood. I opened my wings, and ruffled them until all of the sand fell out. I looked at Jack, and noticed that he was still fast asleep. I went back over, and sat down beside him. I wondered if his temperature dropped when he was asleep. I gingerly reached my hand out towards his face, and touched it. It wasn't cold,to my surprise. Just... Skin temperature. He must use some kind of energy to stay cold... And using less when he sleeps means he thaws out a bit. I raised my eyebrows in amusement. I began to wonder if he knew.

"Hey, Jack... Jack? Wake up."

His blue eyes opened, and he began to float off the ground, stretching out his arms and legs, arching his back. He yawned, came back down to the ground, and walked over to me.

"Mornin. Haven't slept that well in... Forever."

"Hey, did you know that when you're asleep, you're actually like, skin temperature?"

I quickly covered my mouth.

"And how do you know that?"

"Umm... I uh. Well ya see what happened was-"

"_, what'd you do?"

He raised his eyebrows at me, and began laughing.

"Nothing! I just felt your face, 'cause, uh, you looked like you were sick or something."

"Mhmm. I'll buy that."

"Seriously Jack! That's all I did!"

"Alright, ok. I believe you."

We were both glad to be in a lighter mood compared to the night before. Jack picked up his staff after I changed into a white skirt and shirt. I went barefoot, and he took notice.

"Finally, someone who likes going barefoot."

"Bunny, Sandy and Tooth don't wear shoes either."

"Bunny's a bunny. Sandy has sand for feet. And Tooth has like, feathers to wear or something. You're the only one who can choose to go barefoot."

"And why does that matter?"

"I don't know. 'Cause... I'm just finding things we have in common is all."

"Oh. Well... Besides that, we both fly, are Guardians...and..."

"Come on, we both know there's more than that."

"... Like coffee?"

"Hey! I have an idea! You wanna go for a dunk in the river?"

"No!"

"Then never mention coffee to me again. EVER."

We took off above the river, and decided to follow it to the nearest town. Besides, the area hadn't seen a cold spell in awhile.

While gliding through the humid air, we passed over a boat of men that had all kinds of nets and traps filling the entire boat. Needless to say, they saw neither of us. It was the first time I actually saw someone after moving out to the cabin. I tried waving, forgetting what I was to them. Empty space. My face changed to one of embarrassment and disappointment when I remembered. Jack saw, and put his hand on my shoulder as we flew.

"You ok?"

"Yeah."

"I think we're almost close to a town. I smell something cooking."

I sniffed the air, and smelled something fried. Maybe fried catfish? I had no idea what people ate down this far south. Jack saw banners up ahead, and we both heard music playing. There was a fall fair going on. Jack and I landed just outside the festivities, and spied the source of the smell from earlier. There was a food stand set up, with women running the whole thing. They were handing out trays of fried fish, fries, and other stuff I didn't recognize. I nearly had withdrawal symptoms when I saw the cups of iced sweet tea. I hadn't had that in forever it seemed. Jack and I looked at eachother once, and had a plan.

"Ok, Jack. You distract them-"

"By freezing the register, and blowing the cash everywhere?"

"..."

"What?"

"That's brilliant. Just don't make the old ladies chase after it. And fall. I'm a guardian angel."

"Fine. And you-"

"Grab the goods and hope no one's watching them float away? If they see, we'll accuse little Susie over there of witchcraft."

Jack glanced over to the girl I was pointing to. She waved.

We laughed quietly at ourselves and waved back.

"Alright. Let's do this."

We both nodded, and took off. I went to stand beside the little trays of food, and Jack flew around the opposite side of the booth to freeze the register. Within seconds, I heard the telltale "RING" of the register as the drawer opened, and the shrieks of several women as the cash blew away in the wind, catching everyone's attention. I grabbed the little trays, a cup of sweet tea, and fly away to the top of the ferris wheel, Jack right behind me, both of us laughing hysterically.

The wheel was shut down for now. The operator was on a break apparently, because we watched him hurry to go and watch the concert happening below us. There were a couple guitar players. One acoustic, and another electric. There was even a banjo player. And a bass, a drummer, and a singer. All of the members were guys except for the tambourine player. They started up right away and began playing a song I didn't recognize, probably because it was country. I had never really listened to it up north, but I liked what I was hearing. I looked closer at the singer. He seemed about my age, maybe 18, and had dirty blonde hair framing a handsome face. Very, very nice looking. Without realizing it, I spoke out loud.

"He sure is cute."

"What? Who?"

I turned to face Jack, my face red.

"Uh, no one."

Jack raised one of his eyebrows.

I sighed, then pointed him out.

"That guy, the singer."

Jack peered down at him, then laughed.

"What?"

"He's not your type."

"How do you know what my type is?"

"I don't know. I just know it's not him. He's too... Southern for you. And besides, he can't see you."

"Way to be sensitive."

"Thanks. I really try."

After a moment of silence between us, we laughed. A new song started, and a bunch of people started to dance in a circle, forming a chain of arms all moving and weaving to the music. No one was in the middle though, and Jack grabbed my arm before dragging me down to the dance. We landed in the middle of everything, and no one, except the little kids, noticed us.

Jack grabbed my right hand, held it up to his left, and put his own right hand on my waist. I put my left on his shoulder, and he showed me how to dance. We hopped around the circle, switching our feet to the rhythm, twirling in circles inside the bigger one. It was incredibly fun. The band kept playing for several minutes, and when they finished, it was past noon. Jack and I left the ring of people, and I asked Jack where he had learned to dance like that.

"Back when I was a human, my village would have this annual thing. We would all bring something to eat, and a couple gifts for the kids, usually made out of wood or flowers or weaved grass from what I remember. It was always held in spring, when everything was growing and blooming, just after evergthing had thawed out. We all danced and partied the whole day. It was celebrating the start of the new year."

Another fragment of his human life fell into place in my mind. So far I knew he had a sister, parents, how he died, and that his village held an annual festival. I still wanted to know more though.

"Do you remember where your town was?"

Jack thought for awhile, then answered.

"Well, it was right against the Appalacians. It's called Burgess."

"Oh. What state?"

"Pennsylvania."

"Did you like it?"

"The town? Sure, I guess. There were a lot of good memories made there."

He looked at me as we flew away from the festival, heading to where Sandy told us to meet him.

"Why are you so curious all of a sudden?"

"I'm not sure. It's just that you've never really talked much about it. I guess I'm just curious."

While we were flying, I felt a raindrop hit me right in the eye. I blinked hard, and wiped it away. I looked up, and noticed that the clouds were turning dark gray.

"Let's fly above them."

I followed Jack up through the clouds, holding onto his hand so I wouldn't lose him in the fog. We shot through easily, and emerged above the storm below. Up here, the sun was shining, and the clouds looked white and fluffy. You could never guess what was going on hundreds of feet through the peaceful clouds below.

"What was your best memory?"

Jack grinned a bit as he remembered something.

"I remember, I had this girlfriend. She was so beautiful, and kind. And she loved my little sister too. She would do anything for either of us."

I became interested.

"What was her name?"

"Melody. Melody Harvardson."

Jack looked over at me for a couple seconds, then turned away.

"What?"

"You remind me of her. Same hair color. Same eyes, almost. Yours are a bit darker in my opinion. Your personalities are different though. She was... Loud. Eccentric. You're more subtle. Precise in everything you do. But you have your Melody moments."

I smiled at that. I started to wonder what happened to her when Jack died. Surely he went looking for her.

Jack could guess what I was thinking.

"After I changed, I landed in the first village I saw. No one saw me though. Not a single person. So I was discouraged and surprised, and I left."

He seemed a little saddened when he finished telling me.

He continued on though.

"Back then, I didn't know who I was, or who my family was either. I didn't even remember Melody. When I got my memories back, I realized that the girl who walked right through me as I left... was Melody."

I decided to stay quiet for the rest of the trip.

A/N : What do you think so far? Tell me! :D


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N : **Here's the next chapter :) And I'm sorry it's taken so long to write. You guys have been waiting forever, so here you go...

Chapter 20

The sun shifted further down into the sky, and I guessed the time to be around 2:00. I created a sparkling white watch on my wrist to be sure, and read 2:08. I became curious as to exactly where we were heading next. The only thing below us: clouds. No land or water to distinguish our position. But Jack knows were Sandy told us to go, so I trust him. We keep flying over the blanket of white until we see something strange before us. The sun is at our backs, and in front of us is a wall of darkness, inching closer and closer.

"Jack...?"

"Dont worry. It's not Pitch. It's just nighttime in this part of the world. Technically, we're going back a day."

I nod in understanding, glad to not encounter my killer for another day.

"So Sandy told me to meet him at his cloud. See it anywhere, _?"

I scan up and down the edge of black in front of us. Then, to the far left, I see something sparkling.

"Hey. Is that it?"

I point to the golden speck, smaller than my fingernail from our distance. Jack squints in that direction, and nods.

I follow him along the edge of night and day, and we pass over the clouds. I still don't know where we are, because the clouds block our view of what's below us.

"Jack, do you know where we are? Like, where we're over?"

"Um... I think the Pacific is below us."

"Think?"

"Ya, I'm certain. Smell the salt?"

"Jack, every ocean's _salty_."

He turns to look at me and rolls his eyes, making sure that I notice.

"You know what I mean. I'm sayin that we're definitely not over land."

"How do you know it's the Pacific though?"

"We've been flying west. So it has to be."

"We could be over the Indian-"

"SHHSH! I'm right. No debating it."

"But Jack, you aren't-"

"SHHSH, woman!"

"Did you just call-"

"Yes."

I raise my eyebrows at him, and ram into his side playfully. He cartwheels through the air, plummeting. I squint down at him, laughing, but wonder why he hasn't come back up to get even. His staff is falling with him, but he can't seem to grab it. It's too far from him. A sick feeling takes over my stomach, and I divebomb after him. I catch up, and grab his staff before guiding myself over to his free falling body. His eyes are wide, but he keeps calm. I press the staff into his outreached hands, and he stops falling abruptly. I let my wings out like sails to slow my descent, then head back up to him.

"You ok, Jack?"

He looks at me, eyes still open wide, and nods breathlessly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to knock your staff away."

"Remind me to never pick a fight with you. At least while we're in the air. On the ground, you're toast."

Was that a compliment? I smile at him, and he flies with me back up towards the golden speck. As we near it, it develops into some sort of castle of golden sand, sitting atop a cloud made of the same stuff. I wonder if we can walk on it, and my question is answered when our feet touch the soft surface.

I relax my wings, and to my surprise, I don't fall through the cloud. Jack is already walking towards the glittering entrance of the castle, but stops when he notices me leaning down to scoop up some of the sand.

"Hey! Careful with that stuff."

"Why? What's it even-"

I sneeze unexpectably, and when I inhale again, some of the cloud goes into my nose. My eyes open wide at the tingling sensation, but then droop a bit as I feel fatigue take over. I blink slowly, and see Jack laughing to himself before walking over to me.

"It's his dream sand, _."

I look at him through sleepy eyes, fighting to keep my balance. The golden cloud I'm standing on looks so soft. Like a mattress. Jack notices my lazy state directed towards my feet, shakes his head and guides me forward by my shoulders. He pushes me along, and we are soon in front of Sandy's doors.

"Good thing you didn't inhale the whole cloud."

He laughs to himself when I let my head droop a bit. With one hand on my shoulder to keep me standing, he reaches forward to knock on the door. He hesitates before touching his knuckles to the cloud, wondering if his hand will go right through, but hits the door anyways. There is a resounding knock to his surprise. I would have been surprised too, if I was paying enough attention. I kept repeating the phrase "Don't go to sleep, don't go to sleep..." in my head.

There is a sweeping noise accompanying the door as it swings open. There, only coming up to my shoulder, stands Sandy. He smiles up at us, then looks closer at my tired expression. He turns to Jack, and raises his eyebrows in question after a couple of z's and sand appear over his head, along with a figure of me.

"Yep. She scooped some up and breathed it in before I could stop her."

Sandy shakes his head and silently laughs. A pocket watch ticking away appears above his head, and he nods at Jack. Jack seems to understand, but I'm still fighting off sleep.

"What's Sandy sayin?"

"Oh, he's telling me that the sand should wear off in a couple of minutes. You only breathed in a little after all."

"Oh. Good."

Sandy leads us down the hallway in his castle, and I notice how decorated it is. There are all kinds of things lining the walls. There are some armored knights, some supersized toy dinosaurs, and even some rocking horses. It reminds me of a toy store. There's even a sports car in one corner, complete with some racing flags. I try to recall what Sandy was going to teach me, but I can't. Maybe something about fears? Soon enough I'd know. We step through an archway, and into a room with a domed roof. There are no decorations here, and the room seems to serve no obvious purpose. It does however, do an excellent job at taking up space. Sandy stops floating, and turns to face us. My clouded head has become slightly less foggy, and I find that I'm able to stand without Jack's help. Sandy holds up a finger, his eyebrows raised, seeming to ask us to wait in the room. Jack confirms it.

"You want us to wait for you to come back?"

Sandy nods, then quickly flies back out the arched doorway. Jack looks up at the ceiling, and speaks to me.

"I think I know what he's getting. He's going to help you get over your fears, but you have to trust him."

Sandy flies over to us again, this time holding a transparent vial of something. It's about as long as my hand, and holds some sort of sand. I recognize it though. It's dark, dark black, and has a purple tint to it when held in the light. It sparkles dangerously, and I recall the knife that was wedged in my stomach. The memory of the burning sensation, like the feeling of a fireant bite multiplied several times, comes back. My hand goes to my stomach reflexively. I don't clutch at it, but I casually rest it in the spot where the knife was. Is there a scar? I haven't had the chance to look, or the need to, but now I'm curious. Jack notices my hand, but quickly looks back towards Sandy. I let my hand drop to my side, and wait for Sandy's message. Images flash over his head, but too fast for me to recognize much. It's clearly directed at Jack, who is nodding in understanding while I stand by. He must be great at charades. I see my figure several times, and the vial. When Sandy is done, Jack turns to me to relay the message.

"Sandy wants to put you under a simulation. A dream really. It's just that... He's incapable of making bad dreams. So he needs Pitch's nightmare sand to do it. That's why he has it. He lifted some off of him when we fought last."

"A simulation, huh."

"Ya, but it's all controlled by Sandy. I'll be standing by to watch your reaction, and to tell Sandy what to do next if he gets lost. He's going to bring me in there with him. You won't see either of us, though."

"So, a bad dream, then?"

"Well, ya. But it's not Pitch trying to scare you. It's us, the good guys. And it's going to train you. You can get over your fears this way. Or at least learn to delay them."

I'm not sure what to think. I should do it though, if I want to beat Pitch, which I do. I nod at both of them, and Sandy raises a little cloud bed up from the fluffy ground in front of us. It's formed from the golden clouds making up his whole castle. I step forward, and lie down on it. It's very comfortable. Sandy steps forward with the vial, and opens the top. Jack comes to stand beside me, and appears to be towering above me. He looks across to Sandy, and smiles weakly. Sandy leans over a bit, and sprinkles some of the violet sand over my face. I breathe it in like it is asbestos, that is, very reluctantly. Then, Sandy drizzles golden sand onto me, to help me fall asleep. I see two faces looking down on me as they fade away.

I wake up, and the room is transformed. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling is made of not gold, but dark violet sand. I step out of the bed, and feel the cold, unforgiving ground with my bare feet. What happened to this place? Where's Jack and Sandy? Something prods at me from the back of my mind, and I try my best to pull it forward, but fail. The archway is boarded up with black sand panels, and I see that there is no way out of the huge room. I flap my wings, expecting to lift several feet into the air, but rise only a couple of inches. I can't fly. Well, not very well. Something still doesn't seem right to me, and the prodding feeling returns. I feel like I'm missing something. I close my eyes and concentrate. _Think logically. It's not possible to just lose your ability to fly. Unless you're injured. And you're not. So, what you're experiencing is unexplainable. Try to explain it._ I open my eyes, and recall a vial. A vial of the same sand making up this room. Then, I remember. This is just a dream. A simulation. Sandy and Jack are testing my fears. As soon as I realize the truth, in front of me a figure emerges from the wall. Then another. One is taller. They start towards me, and I back up. I peer into their faces, and recognize them. My parents. They walk up to me, and stop. I try to run to them, but can't get any close than about a meter away. I'm so close. There's my dad, holding my mom's hand. They aren't made of the violet sand, they're made of flesh and bone. They're real. They're alive. Then comes Jack, walking up to stand next to them. Didn't he say that I wouldn't be able to see him? I try to speak, but no sound comes out. To my surprise, North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy also make an appearance. What does all of this have to do with any of my fears? Then it hits me. I'm afraid of being alone. Pitch said so himself. I know what will happen to them, and I feel fear welling up inside me. It makes me want to turn away, to ignore whatever will happen next. But I strain my neck to keep my eyes on the group of people in front of me.

First, Sandy dissolves away. Black and purple sand creeps it's way up him from the ground, and he is soon covered in it. He falls to the ground and is gone. I feel like gasping, but refuse to. Then Bunny undergoes the same fate. I feel horrible. Tooth, smiling the entire time, falls under the black sand. North is covered next. I'm nearly brought to tears, but I keep calm. Jack stares at me from the 3 feet between us. He has an expression of peace. I want to tell him what will happen, but I can't. I blink back tears as he is enveloped in the sand. It's not real. It's not real. But it feels like it. Then the grand finale. My parents, holding hands smile at me, oblivious. The sand is slower this time. It starts at their toes, then covers their feet. Then it's ankle high. Then it's at their knees. I want to close my eyes, but I keep them open. My mom looks down at her waist, now turning black. She glances at my dad nervously, and they squeeze hands. It's almost too much. Soon enough, the sand is at their necks, and climbing. It covers my mom's chin, and then my dad's nose. To their eyes, then their foreheads. Then they're gone.

I stand alone in the heavy silence of the empty room. I feel a little numb. I'm all alone. Nobody around but me. Except for that horrible noise. I turn around, feeling defeated. The sound of swishing sand catches my attention. And there is Pitch. I can feel my heart pound in my ears, and the coldness taking over my body. I'm not sure if I can move. I feel stuck. I urge my feet to move away from Pitch, who stands a meter away, but I see that they are unresponsive. There is a layer of ice holding them to the ground. Jack's doing I guess. Is he trying to help me face Pitch? Cause this is the wrong way to do it. I jerk away violently as Pitch leans over me. His eyes are burning yellow. I feel like a cobra is looming over me. If I want this to stop, I have to get over him. I direct all of my energy into staring him down. My eyes are unblinking as they bore into his face. I force myself to continue as memories slam into my mind. The cave, the knife, the running, the dying. Then, Pitch starts to fade away. Slowly, but surely. I feel some sort of power, and the ice breaks away from my feet. I take a step back, and smile cautiously.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N : **All of your reviews are greater than Life itself. And Grace. You know who you are. Thanks for defending my FanFic. And Dakota. It's cool bro. :P

You guys are seriously awesome. Thank you muchos much for taking time out of your day (or afternoon, or night for that matter) to click that button and tell me what you think. I always read FanFics late at night. But that's just me. Maybe. Does anyone else?

This is a long-ish chapter, at least in relation to the rest of the story. Sorry it took so long to come up with. I have all these events planned, and I wanna just jump from one to the next. But I can't. So this helps link together the next big event. Which is jam packed with feels. The good kind though. Keep up the whole reviewing thing! And I'll keep up the writing!

Chapter 21

I had faced my two fears. Losing the people I love, being alone, and facing Pitch, the monster who killed me.

I feel like something has been left untouched. There's still something I haven't faced. I'm not sure what it could be though. I'm not afraid of anything else really. I try to think of other things that could be a possible fear. My mouth goes dry as I realize what it could be. No, it is.

I'm not just afraid of losing people and being alone and Pitch. I'm afraid of the worst possible combination. Jack dying by Pitch's hand, and me being left alone for as long as I exist. I don't know if I can handle that simulation, but in front of me, I see Jack standing there. Smiling like always. It's too late to unthink the fear, so I prepare to deal with it. I don't know how Pitch will appear, or when, so I walk up to Jack quickly, and take his hand.

"Run with me, ok?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You have to trust me. Come on."

I run with him away from the center of the room, and head for the boarded up archway. Only minutes ago it was golden and inviting. Now it's a twisted, dark structure in the simulation. I turn to look at Jack, and place him behind me. He is close to the boards, and I am left vulnerable to the room. I plan to protect him, or at least go down fighting. Besides, I can't die in a dream. Feel pain... Yes. But that's far better than watching Jack die. Jack sounds confused when he speaks.

"What's going on? Why am I behind you?"

He starts to step out to be beside me, but I put my arm out.

"Jack, please stay behind me ok?"

The swirling and scratching of sand is heard when I finish speaking. I tense, and Jack notices.

"_, just tell me what's going on. What's that noise?"

If I say Pitch, Jack will want to fight.

"It's just sand. Now, please, just let me do th-"

I'm cut off by laughing.

"How adorable. You think you can save him. And here of all places. You can't win, _."

I raise my eyes to meet his golden ones. He is easily 3 feet taller. Inhuman, and out of proportion. My mind is making him scarier. I calm down a bit, and breathe through my nose. He smirks down at me, and appears taller than ever. By now Jack is fighting to get in front of me. I have some difficulty keeping him back. He moves with fear and hate. He fears my death, and hates Pitch for what he's done. He finally shouts.

"You get away from her, you coward!"

Pitch switches his gaze to Jack, and I see a smile.

"I'm not the coward here, Jack."

He directs his eyes at me. My cheeks heat up, and I lunge forward, my bow materialized in my hand. I stab into where I guessed his stomach to be with the metal tip of one end, and push up. I hear an angry growl before he throws me away from him, and I know I've made the wrong choice. I scramble to my feet, already knowing what happens next. I turn around slowly, arrow loaded, knowing it's too late. There's Pitch, in the center of the room. Nothing makes sense. How'd he get there so fast? How is Jack already in his grasp? How is this possible? But it doesn't matter. None of it does, except that Jack's in danger. This is a simulation, and anything goes. I hear a snap echo, and then I let the arrow fly. I'm too late. Pitch evaporates before the arrow touches him, and Jack falls to the ground.

He makes no effort to get up. Or to breathe. Or to smile. I stand over him, then I'm on my knees beside him. His neck is bent unnaturally. I try not to focus on it. His eyes are the same, but different too. Same bright blue, but no shine. He looks like he could be staring into an endless hallway. Lifeless.

I finally stand.

Should I cry? Have I accomplished the purpose of this... Nightmare? I want to cry. I feel the warm tears slip across my cooled skin. I'm feeling a little dead myself as I stare at Jack. More tears manifest out of the empty space in me. I've lost everything in a few short minutes. I'm ready to leave. I'm done here.

There is no slow fade to black, as I expected. Instead, I'm thrown into the warm light of the golden room. The dome reaches high above me, and I'm relieved to be back. I feel weak as I sit up, and I see Sandy to my right. He is looking at me with pity in his eyes. The words "I'm sorry." appear above his head. I understand. He didn't know how bad it would be. I smile weakly, pulling together my emotions and stuffing them into a box for now.

"I guess you saw all of that, huh?"

He nods, his eyes lowered.

"Pretty bad, huh?"

Another nod.

He looks up to me, and pats my shoulder. I step off the bed, and stand.

"Where's Ja-"

My question is answered when I spot him walking towards us. His face is unreadable. He speaks clearly though.

"Hey. How're you feeling?"

Terrible, thanks for asking.

"A little sore. I'll be ok."

Liar.

Jack seems to see how un-"ok" I am though. He tilts his head a bit, and squints at me.

"Can I talk to you? Somewhere else maybe?"

He turns to Sandy and thanks him. I do the same. Sandy understands what went on in there. All three of us do. He knows what Jack wants to talk about, too, apparently. He flys away after waving to both of us.

"Come on."

I follow Jack out of the room, passing back through the archway. We head down the hallway, and take a left. Up some stairs, and straight ahead is a door. Jack opens it for me, and light floods into my eyes. It's an outdoor balcony facing the 'day side' of the world. The sun is on the horizon, and from the point, it will always be. I walk forward after my eyes adjust, and stand at the edge with my hands resting on the sandy wall. Jack follows and stands beside me in silence.

He finally speaks up.

"I, uh, didnt know about your last fear. I mean, I should've, but I didn't. I'm sorry about that."

I nod to myself. I easily forgive him.

"It's alright."

"Really?"

"Ya. It's no big deal, Jack."

"Thanks."

I nod at him, trying to forget his lifeless face in the simulation.

I expect the sun to be lower when I look at it again, but it isn't. I mentally slap myself when I remember that it won't move as long as we're here, floating along with the Earth's rotation.

I feel a little awkward. He knows that I have a fear of losing him in particular, and I want to know what he thinks about it. But I can't just ask him outright.

"_? Could you please just tell me what's wrong? You're acting all weird."

He laughs lightly at the end, but still looks concerned.

"I'm just... I just was thinking. The last fear was, um. Pretty bad. It kinda scared me."

Jack's concern grows by the look on his face.

"I understand. You went through the same thing I did when I... You know."

"When you lost me."

"Ya. I know how that feels. To watch that happen. Even if it was a simulation. So, I'm here for you, ok?"

He steps over to me and puts his arm around my shoulder, giving me a side hug. The stubborn sun refuses to set. A flash of his snapped neck comes back to me from the nightmare, and I impulsively let out a pitiful tear. Luckily, he didn't notice it. Or he's pretending to not notice. His arm tightens around me, and I decide to let him comfort me. It's hard being strong all the time. I need a break. He holds me together, and I lean against him.

Eventually, we sit on the ledge with our legs dangling out in the open air. I can feel him glancing at me every once in awhile, checking on me. I'm doing my best to keep it together in front of him. After a while, I rest my head against his shoulder, and we stare at the unchanging sun set.

"_, you're gonna be ok."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Ya. I'll be fine. It just takes some time."

"That rhymed."

"So did that."

He laughs lightly and kicks his legs in the air.

"So, now you can fly...fight... hide...and control your fears."

"Yep."

"Do you think you'll be ready when the time comes?"

I imagine Pitch's face smirking at me and brush it away. I hope so.

"I think so."

"Good. And _, just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you. You're gonna be a great Guardian."

"Thanks. You are too. You're good with kids."

A moment passes.

"And you're brave."

Pitch's words echo in my head. "I'm not the coward here."

"Thanks."

It's quiet for a couple of minutes, and I sit beside Jack, letting him cool me down from all of the stress. I notice that he's messing around with his staff, holding it in one hand, and making snowflakes with the other. I become interested, and watch. He notices, smiles at my curiosity, and begins making something else after letting the snowflake fall away. His palm glows light blue, then white, icy tendrils start to rise and join together to make a form from his hand. It stretches and twists and crackling can be heard as it solidifies. The little sculpture is frosty looking, and opaque when Jack holds it up to his face. He blows cold air over it, and the frost flutters away like feathering from a pillow as the glossy and nearly clear sculpture is revealed. He turns it around once, and tilts it in the golden light. He seems satisfied with it, and holds it out to me. I raise my eyebrows.

"Here."

I reach out, and carefully cradle the figurine in my hands, bringing it close to my face. The ice bites at my skin at first, but I don't mind.

I hold the delicate sculpture, and realize that it's me. It's my hair, the same length and style I have it in now, the same dress, and the same wings. She's smiling back at me, too. I turn to Jack and hug him, carefully holding the figure.

"It's beautiful."

"Just like the original."

I smile up at him, and suddenly wish that I could make him something. I think for a minute, and have an idea. Back at the orphanage, we learned how to make dreamcatchers. I need some string, some kind of circle, and some feathers. I could get the string from my dress, and the feathers from myself, but where do I get a ring? I notice the sand making up everything around us, and take off into the castle.

"I'll be right back!"

"Ok?"

I rush down the hallway, and start calling for Sandy.

"Hey! Sandy?"

Nothing.

"You still here?"

He appears from around a corner, and flies towards me. A question mark appears above his head.

"Oh, I need your help with something. Can you make me a ring of your dream sand? Like compress it into a ring that won't fall apart? Like this big?"

I hold up my hands to show him. He nods, a look of puzzlement across his face.

"I'm making a dream catcher."

He reaches down and scoops up sand from the floor, and swirls it around himself, making grand gestures in the air. Then, he directs it into a spinning circle. It starts to collect and become whole, and he reaches out to grab it. It stays solid, and he hands it to me.

"Thank you so much!"

He smiles and waves as I take off for the stairs.

I rush back onto the balcony and tell Jack to close his eyes.

"Why?"

"Cause. I'm making you something now. It's my turn."

I take out the ring and set it on the ground. Then I begin separating some thread from my skirt, unwinding it gradually. Once I have enough, I regenerate the skirt, and start weaving it around the ring, creating a pattern. I make a white snowflake in the center, and pluck 3 feathers from my right wing. The longest one, pearlescent white, is placed in the middle, and the other two, silver in color, are set on either side of the center one. When I finish tying them on, I hold up my sparkling creation, and walk over to Jack.

I set the dream catcher on his lap, and tell him to open his eyes.

"Woah. What's this?"

"A dream catcher. It catches bad dreams, and let's the good ones in. I think."

He turns the shimmering ring around in the light, watching it sway in the breeze.

"Thanks."

He studies the design, appreciating the snowflake, and sees the feathers.

"Didn't that hurt?"

"Oh. Not really. I chose those from a spot that doesn't hurt. It's like pulling out a hair from your head, I guess."

He tucks the dream catcher into his hoodie, and I hold my ice figurine awkwardly. It'll melt if I put it in my pocket. Jack notices my dilemma and offers to take it. He places it into his hoodie where it's safe.

"As soon as you have your own place, we can put it there."

My own place. Wonder where that'll be.

"Jack, did Tooth and Sandy have to build there castles? Themselves?"

"Uh, ya."

"Oh. So, I'm gonna have to build mine too?"

"Yep."

"Ain't nobody got time fo dat."

"What?"

"What."

He raises his eyebrows at me, shakes his head and laughs.

"I'll help you. Ok?"

"Alright."

We sit out on the balcony a bit longer, but decide that we should go back to the surface. I apparently need more training.

"You can't expect to beat him by telling bad jokes, _."

"And why not? How bout this one? Why are pencils so -"

"Becasue they're pointless."

"Hey! I have to actually finish the joke, Jack."

We laugh at ourselves and continue soaring through the clouds. Jack is taking me to a place perfect for training. Or so he says. Apparently he wants to go to the Mammoth Caves. He claims that they're in Kentucky and are the largest caves around.

"Jack, we've already been in the south. I get to choose where we go next."

"We're almost there."

Below us I see green stretching to the horizon.

"We're in the National Park. Well, above it."

I've lost track of the days, but the sun suggests that it's sometime around early morning. Maybe 6 or 7. We land in the middle of the park, and I smell a lake nearby. The air feels humid as it goes into my lungs. It's heavy compared to the thin air we were breathing at Sandy's place. Jack leads me down a path through the trees. No one appears to be in the park this early. And it's a weekday. We both hear the buzzing around us. Birds and bugs take up the air with their morning calls to eachother. I even hear a frog. Jack seems to know the place pretty well. He turns down paths and makes decisions without consulting a map.

"You been here before?"

"Yep. I've seen the caves a couple times. And a lot of kids come here to have snowball fights. Especially over winter break."

He pauses at a fork in the path, and takes the left one.

"You're gonna love the caves. They're enormous. Which is why we're using them."

After trekking along the path an extra couple minutes, I ask Jack why he insisted on walking.

"Because, I though you might want to see the actual... Stuff."

He gestures to the forest surrounding us with his arms in an exaggerated manner.

We continue ahead, and I see the sudden drop in front of us. Once we're at the edge, I look down into the black belly of the cave. No wonder they're called the Mammoth Caves. Jack jumps out into the open air, and laughs as he free-falls into the shady depths. I can hear his echo several times, then a shout.

"Come on, _!"

It repeats itself, urging me to jump like a broken record. I leap out into the air, my wings instinctually clamping tight to my back, and I sink into the caves mouth like a bag of flour. I let them out a bit, then glide in a spiral to the bottom once I've cleared the jagged opening. I land on the chalky ground and the faint morning light from above casts a gray glow onto the cave's walls. I turn in a quick circle to spot Jack, and notice a blue glow off to my right. I follow it around a corner, and see Jack standing on a ledge above a pool of water. His staff is giving off light like a glow stick, and it illuminates the walls and ceiling as it reflects off of the water.

**A/N :** As you'be probably guessed, Jacks gonna show you how to fight in the dark. So expect that in the next chapter, which will unfortunately take some time to complete. I have STAAR testing on the week of April Fool's Day. How appropriate. The point is, I'm prepping and RE-prepping to get A's these tests. And I personally can't wait for the writing one. I love essays. Said no one ever. But writing in general= awesome. Hence the FanFiction account. Ok, sorry for the stupid delays. Blame the state of Texas. And me. If you want. The latter is more accurate. :D


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N : **This one is short. Sorry, but I have testing and 3 essays. I wanted to post something though.

Chapter 22

The ceiling has sharp and angular formations protruding into the open air. Their weight must supported by the solid rock arches linking them to one another. The whole spectacle reminds me of some sort of abstract artwork. I pull my wings close to my body as I make my way over to Jack. If I'm not carefull, I'll cut them on the jags surrounding me. I brush past more obstacles of rock but finally make my way up to where Jack stands. The pool of water is below us. Jack turns to me and half of his face is illuminated by the glowing staff. He looks surprisingly scary.

"What? Something wrong with my face?"

"No. You just look... "

"Scary?"

I nod.

He smiles and makes a scary face at me before taking a step out into the open. He floats over the pool, and explains what I'll be practicing.

"I'm going to help you fight in the dark. That's why we're here. When this staff goes out-"

He gestures to it with his other hand, reminding me of a teacher.

"- it'll be completely dark."

In the back of my mind, Pitch's golden eyes burn.

"Ok..."

The staff's light fades away, like a sped up moonset. Blackness creeps into the cave, and the pool of water ceases to sparkle, its depths replaced by inky black oil. And then, fear. It starts out as a pinprick. Nothing serious. But the smallest pinprick can end your life. Fear spreads through me, a poison that restricts complex thoughts, and I cease to think rationally. My train of thought runs off the rails and becomes less logical by the second.

I'm in a cave.

A dark cave.

A pitch black cave.

A cave similar to the one where I first encountered Pitch.

Just like the one.

Same noises.

Same smell.

Same black.

Same fear.

This is the cave.

Pitch is here.

He found me.

I catch myself. There's no way that thought is possible. Pitch has no idea where I am, and even if he did know, Jack is here. Jack's beat him before, and he'll do it again.

Then why didn't he when you needed him most?

Becasue I ran away from him. It was my choice.

There is a faint drip-drop of water. I can hear the hum of my blood running in my neck. The cave sounds hollow, but alive. The walls echo the water dripping off of their hard surfaces, and I'm reminded of the stone hard sand-knife that killed me. Everything here brings me back to that day. The humming persists in my ears, growing louder. I'm losing focus, yet again. Darkness is very disorienting.

"Jack...?"

My voice echos around the cave. I hear the tinge of panic staining it as it bounces away. I certainly don't want to sound afraid. Not after I supposedly "conquered" my fears.

"Yes? I'm right here."

"Where...?"

The cave jumbles our voices together, and we wait for them to fade out before speaking again.

"Right here."

I hear his feet touch the stone space in front of me. They scartch and scuffle soflty as he takes a few steps forward. I smell a little bit of pine in the air as he bumps into me. The staff spreads its comforting light over us, and I see that we're both on the ledge above the water.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I just..."

He searches my face, trying to pick up the words I dropped. I find better ones, though.

"How do you focus? The darkness is... disorientating."

"Well... I just... isolate myself."

"Like, think of your happy place?"

He smiles a bit.

"No, not really. I do the opposite. I leave everything else behind, and absorb what I'm trying to focus on. I don't try to escape it."

"Alright. I'll try that."

I clear my throat, and wait for Jack to darken the cave. The light recedes back into the staff, and darkness spreads itself over the gray walls, turning them charcoal, then obsidian. The pool below me is once again inky and without luster. It might as well be a pool of flat-black paint.

"Ok, _."

Jack's voice travels from one point across from me, but ends up nearly everywhere else.

"I want you to focus. You're going to find me. It'll be like Marco Polo. Except I'm not going to move from my spot. And we won't talk to eachother."

"Ya. Just like Marco Polo."

"Hey, I needed something to compare it to."

"Ever heard of hide 'n seek?"

"Shut up."

We laugh at eachother, and I'm grateful for the joking tone in the cave's eerie air. At least for this moment. Then it fades, and I'm left with the ringing of silence in my ears. He's already hiding.

I close my eyes, squeezing them to make sure they're shut since I can't detect a difference in the darkness.

I let myself forget about Pitch for now. I think only of the cave. Its walls around me, the spiked roof and floor near me, the pool beneath me, and the ledge supporting me. I decide to focus on one thing in particular. The steady drip of water nearby. It serves as a pendulum, and I gradually slow my thoughts. I focus harder, and hear the minuscule echo of the water dripping onto the floor.

DRIP.

drip.

DRIP.

drip.

The air holds every noise in the cave. There's no way that Jack can be completely silent, right? He has to be making some sort of noise, no matter how small. Then I think back to Bunny and his meadow. How Jack kept finding me in the grass. My heartbeat gave me away. Maybe I could hone in on his.

I hold my breath, and suspect that he is doing the same.

I listen to my own rhythmic thumping, and tune my ears to that sound. Then, like a skilled musician, I pick out every noise in the cave's humid air. I immediately rule out my own heartbeat. The dripping water is the second obvious choice. I block it out, straining my ears to pick up on anything else. There is a faint whisper in the far distance. It must be the air moving through the cave. Then I hear something I can finally use. A ghost of a sound echos in both of my ears. I turn my head towards the louder side and hear my own hair rub against itself. It's surprisingly loud, and I focus on the sound again. I pick it up as it echos into my left ear. I tilt my head towards the promising sound, and smile when it grows stronger. I can feel the pressure against my eardrum with each additional pulse of the echo. I decide to start moving towards it, and spread my wings. I ignore my feathers quietly ruffling and unfurling. They sound like paper and dry leaves being crushed in my ears compared to the heartbeat. I carefully glide in a small circle, tuning my ears and listening intently for the beat to grow louder. I feel like an oversized bat. After circling a couple of times, I notice that a particular spot is more potent than the others. I fly once more around, and stop when I'm at the point. Hovering in place, I gingerly reach my hand out into the darkness.

What if I've found the wrong heartbeat?

I push the thought away, and my hand lightly presses against cold, soft fabric. I recognize it, and relief washes over me.

Blue light glows from Jack's staff, revealing his face. I realize that my hand rests on his chest, right over his heart. I pull it away back to my side where it belongs. He smiles at me before guiding me back to the ledge.

"Spill. How'd you find me?"

"I took your advice."

"You focused? That's obvious. I mean, how did you actually find me. What did you hear that tipped you off? I was holding my breath!"

"Ya, I figured. I remembered the time Bunny and you were trying to find me in the field. You said you heard my heartbeat. So I heard yours."

He raises his eyebrows at my explanation.

"Wow. Smart. And you have some great ears to do that. Maybe even make the Easter Kangeroo jealous."

I smirk in the comforting blue light.

"Good job."

"Thanks."

"But you know Pitch doesn't have a heartbeat."

"Ya. Figures."

"Good thing is, you probably won't have to find him. He always makes an appearance. He can't stand being unseen for too long. He needs the attention, like a gothic drama queen. It's what... You know."

"Gives him power."

"Ya. Which you can use to your advantage. As soon as he comes out of the shadows because you're not afraid, you can fight."

I nod, and feel the urge to start the real training. Jack sees the eager look I give him, and smiles.

"Let's start the fighting."

"Finally."


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23_

He steps off of the edge of the ledge behind him, maintaining eye contact the entire time, and I let myself marvel at his ability to float in the air. He doesn't have to move a muscle, unlike myself. He just levitates. It's extraordinary. There's a tinge of jealously present, but I let it dissolve away into the awe of his gift. I remind myself that I also can fly, and that there's nothing to be jealous about. He's ready to start the actual fighting, and his echo rings out into the cave after he speaks.

"Since you're so eager..."

His friendly smile morphs into a mischievous smirk. The cave transforms into a black, infinite space that engulfs me. The comforting blue light is long gone.

From the dark space, I hear his voice and it's echo.

"I won't hold back."

I tune in to his heartbeat immediately, as I suspect he is doing for mine. I hear it, but it is much more faint than before. He must be further away. I see a flash of blue to my far right, and I yelp. Part of my right arm below the elbow is becoming numb. I can feel the faint sting of cold, so cold it burns. I feel my forearm with my left hand, and find it to be covered in frost. I swallow the faint stinging that's gradually growing, and prepare myself for a fist fight of some sort. I hear the heartbeat again, this time much closer, and to the left. A little predictable. It's getting louder, and I hear something moving through the air, so I duck. Jack manages to hit me with his staff in my right shoulder. I let out a sharp sound of pain, grit my teeth, and conjure a staff of my own. I remind myself that it's metal, and it'll do a lot of damage. More than wood.

Jack shoots ice at my right side again, and a flash of blue gives away his position. Straight ahead, up about 10 feet. I leap out into the darkness, unfold my wings, and manage to miss the spiked ceiling as I swing my staff out into the air, making sure I don't actually injure Jack with the blow. I hear a thump and feel the staff take the impact of hitting Jack. He yells out in pain.

"OW! Is that thing metal?"

"Hey, I'm not holding back either!"

"You asked for this."

The staff flashes blue, and I feel ice attack my abdomen. I sink lower in the air, and somehow find the ledge. It feels pretty bad as I gingerly probe my stomach. I hear Jack nearing me once more, and lash out with my fist instead of the staff. I feel it connect with his face. I guess that I've hit his cheek, possibly his jaw. His staff lashes out and hits me in the left shoulder and flashes blue. I blink hard from the brilliant light, and feel my shoulder freezing up. I can't move it much, and decide to use my right (still frozen) forearm to my advantage. I know Jack is behind me now by the sound of his heart. I whip around with my forearm as a weapon, and strike him across the chest. I hear his feet scuffle back from the force, but he regains his ground by launching himself at me. He swings his staff at my ankles, and knocks me onto my back. I feel stunned, and my breath is shallow. I feel ice spread up my legs after a brilliant flash goes off in front of me. I can't get up. Most of me is frozen. I form the staff again, and swing it as best as I can towards Jack's heartbeat. Ice cracks whenever I move, and I start to break it off of my limbs. My legs are freshly frozen though, and refuse to work. My stomach is also still icy. Maybe that's a good thing? It's like an armor plate. A stinging armor plate.

I keep swinging in frustration, and finally mange to hit Jack, probably in the calves. He must have jumped back, though. I can no longer reach him. I get rid of the staff, and conjure my bow and arrows. The arrows should have blunt tips, and I feel them before loading my bow. I shoot a couple in the dark towards his heartbeat, and hear them meet their target.

"Really? Arrows?"

"YA! And really? Ice? This stuff hurts!"

"That's the point."

"At least they're not real arrows!"

I hear his heartbeat get closer, and the shuffling of his feet as he nears me on the ledge. I'm still paralyzed, propped up on my elbows, and helpless. Except for my bow. I wait for him the get closer, and prepare to let another arrow fly. I don't get the chance to hit him, though. He dodges the arrow, jumps forward, and lands right on top of me. My breath is knocked out of my lungs.

"Sorry, thought you were further away than that."

His voice is muffled, mostly because his face is buried in my hair. I can only say one thing.

"You're heavier than you look."

I hear him laugh, but he doesn't attempt to move.

"Jack... you're smushing me."

"Ya, well... That's your problem. You wanted to fight so badly."

"Didn't think it'd end like this."

"You're comfy. I don't wanna get up."

"Jack, come on! My stomach is still stinging. Like a lot. Most of my body is stinging."

"Ok..."

I feel him prop himself up, and the weight lifts. He must be beside me, and his staff finally lights up the dark. I look at my frozen arm and shoulder, then at my stomach, and my legs. Jack runs his hand through his hair, then looks down at me.

I feel myself blush.

"Can you even get up?"

"...no..."

He glances at my frozen legs, then back at me.

"I did a good job."

"Mhm, sure. Now defrost me."

He starts with my legs, and presses his hands on them. I don't feel them until after several, several seconds. Even then, they're numb with the cold. He assesses my forearm next, and presses it between his palms. I feel the ice recede, and feeling starts to return. I wait as he fixes my shoulder, and I try my best to remain still. Now the awkward part. He nervously glances at me before actually setting his hands on my stomach, as if asking my permission. I give him a look that says "Go for it. I'm cold.". I don't feel much at first, except the pressure of his hands, but as my stomach defrosts, I start to get ticklish. I feel the impulse to curl up and laugh, and try desperately to remain motionless. He's still concentrating on absorbing the ice when I laugh out loud by accident. He looks surprised, and I see a wicked smile take its place on his face. What have I done? He lightly pushes at my stomach, and I can't help but laugh again. This time, he grins and I see his teeth show. He does it again, and enjoys my laughing.

"Jack! HAHA! Jack! Come on!"

"Oh my gosh, this is too good."

"PSHH WHAT? HAHAAA! Jack! Stop it!"

He's laughing too, so much that his shoulders rise with each sound.

He continues tickling me until I can't take much more. Then he sits back, stands, and pulls me up from the ground to my feet.

"Can you fly?"

"Probably."

I can feel myself blushing in the light.

I step over to the edge, and see the pool spreading out below us. I feel traces of cold still present on my skin and shiver a bit, hoping that Jack doesn't notice. That would be embarrassing. He must though, because his trademark grin glints in the light of the staff.

"Cold?"

I hug my arms around myself, pretending to cross them in defiance.

"No."

"I doubt that."

He floats past me, and I blush against my will.

"Let's practice some more."

He dims the staff, and the cave is once again a damp dark. I create the staff I used earlier and hold it in my hand, ready to fight. It isn't long before Jack engages. I feel the blow of his staff across my folded wings, enough to make me stumble forward. I grit my teeth, and regain my ground, minding the edge in front of me. That water looks cold. And deep. I listen for any movement. Pure instict tells me that something is behind me as I feel my neck prickle from coldness. Without hesitation I crouch close to the ground, and swing my staff out as hard as I can behind me. At the last second, before it makes contact with Jack, I pull back on it to lessen the impact. I don't want to break any bones. I hear the thud of metal on fabric and Jack shuffling back. I quickly change my staff to what I guess to be white oak wood. Metal seems to be a little harsh. I raise my staff up to block a hit I hear whistling through the air. The clack of wood echos in the cave's space. Jack hesitates to swing again, probably because he's confused as to the sudden change of weapons. I take advantage of his mild delay and swing out at where his feet may be. I feel the staff reverberate in my hands, and the sound of him hitting the rock ground rewards my ears. Finally. But what do I do now? Surely not hit him while he's down. Is that what he expects? Instead of beating him with my staff, I point it towards him. I know he's still lying there, I can feel the cold air and hear him breathing. After a moment, he grabs it, and I pull him up with my sore arm. I grit my teeth, and keep pulling him up even though my arm is microscopically tearing. And I thought immortality meant you felt no pain.

Once he's on his feet, he does the unexpected. I expect him to perhaps shed blue light in the cave, congratulate me, and call it a day. But no. He's Jack Frost. He launches himself at me, hits me with his shoulder, and bulldozes me off the ledge. It's a 30 foot fall. Basically a three story building. Taller than the orpanage, the cabin, or any school I've attended in the past. I feel myself falling, and have enough time to unfold my wings. I consider it for a split second, but decide against it anyway. It would only tear them on impact with the water. That icy pool of ink staring me in the face. Somehow I've turned during the fall, and now I'm face down to the pool. I don't feel or hear Jack falling with me in the dark. Just wait until I get out- I hit the water messily, not quite a belly flop, but not a straight dive either. I'm angled funny, and my face takes the initial impact. It hurts, and the cold water doesn't help. I feel stinging climb from my chin to my forehead as I sink further into the water, propelled by gravity and force. My face will be red for two reasons now. Make that three as anger rises from my stinging chest. I've sunken into the darkness too far, and open my eyes wide. I don't know which way is up. I've spun and twisted too much to know. Can I even drown? No sense in trying that theory out in this situation. Maybe some other time. I carefully let out a string of bubbles from my mouth. Stupid. I can't see them, or which way they float. I turn in a circle and flip around in a contained sense of panic. Which way do I go? I can't tell if my vision is dimming, because I really can't see anything anyway. I feel lightheaded though. I can faintly hear through the water, and I guess that Jack is getting worried. I relax my body, fight the panic infecting my mind, and try to float, like a kite trying to rise. There isn't enough air in my lungs to lift my body. I'm too heavy. My feathers are soaked to the bone, and are dragging me down. Down. I've found up. I kick against the downward force, and see a flash of blinding blue light from above, so bright, i squeeze my eyes shut. It bounces through the water, and I hear Jack yelling for me through the pool. More like a vertical tunnel. It sounds funny, too far away. His figure infiltrates the water above me, staff shining, not a gentle glow like before. I realize that my vision is indeed dimming to darkness on the edges. I've been down here too long. And I'm terrible at swimming. I have no energy to kick forward, and I try to keep my breath in. I just have to wait for him. He sees me, and we make eye contact. He looks determined, but his eyes flash with worry. He kicks downwards, staff guiding him towards me.

The air has been used though, and every oxygen molecule in my lungs has burned away, floating through my blood keeping me on the edge of consciousness. I feel like sleeping, maybe taking a nap. It feels like the time I had hypothermia. I was dumb enough to stay out too long looking for a box of matches in the shed outside my cabin. It was nighttime, and snowing. I didn't bring a jacket, and I ran through the snow. I remember tripping, falling into the stinging cold fluff, just like the water, but softer. I just want to sleep. Just as Jack grabs my limp arm, I let out the last of my air in defeat, and apologize with my eyes. Sorry, they say in a quiet voice.

One of last things I feel before blacking out from oxygen deprivation is burning. In my lungs, a fire has started, water enflaming my flesh. It feels like acid. It's not meant to be there, that's for sure. I wish I could take the oxygen out, like fish do. But I have wings, not gills. I feel heavier as the water turns my lungs into weights. Just like ballasts on a submarine. I fight the urge to cough. That will pull more in, and besides, I would be expelling water for water. Not air. The pain is numbing, and I slip away from consciousness. My last thoughts: I'm pathetic. I can't even swim. I couldn't get out of a pool of water. I'm a disappointment. What will Jack think of me?

Nothing happens for awhile. I'm wandering around inside my mind. It's dim and dark, like the cave. I'm going no where in particular when I find a trail of white feathers, leading away into blackness. I don't get the chance to follow them though.

I feel before I see. It's all black, but I feel pressure. Pressure from somewhere. On my lips? That's strange. It feels nice though, I admit. Then frigid, dry air. It rushes through my lungs, and I feel my chest rise and fall, all without any effort on my part. I find it a little unsettling. What's happening? I'm alive, I assume. The pressure remains, and the air fills my lungs several more times, each time improving my thought process. I begin to think clearly, but I still don't feel much beyond the cold air and pressure. I feel like I'm in a sort of half-coma. Then, the pressure from my lips lifts, and I'm sad to feel it go. Now, something much less pleasant takes its place. Crushing pressure on my ribs, caving them in, and expanding them. Over and over. It feels terrible, and I wonder what exactly is happening. I feel warmth in my chest, and it slowly spreads with each compression. It moves through my arm, down my side, to my legs, back up, through the rest of my body, and eventually back to where my heart is. I vaguely guess that it's blood. The compressions stop, and the soft pressure returns to my lips. More cold air. It feels wonderful compared to the compressions. My ears work next. I hear airy noises, and ringing. Nothing useful. Then my eyes finally kick in. They're shut, so I see red and dark warm colors because of my eyelids. There must be some light wherever I am. I can't seem to open my eyes though. The pressure leaves my lips once again, but I feel a new pressure against my neck. Something is being held there. It turns out to be two fingers, taking my pulse. They must not find anything, because they move to my left wrist. I hear a whispery exasperation.

"Come on. I know you're ok. Please, just wake up."

It's Jack. His voice is saturated in concern, and there's some panic evident too. I want to sit up, I want to say I'm fine. But, my mouth won't move. My eyes won't even open. I can't take a breath on my own.

Then, he presses his ear to my chest. I can feel him straining to hear my heartbeat. Usually, he hears it from a distance. He must be scared, and I hate to make him that way.

The painful compressions start up again, and I feel some sort of jolt. It's minuscule, but it's right where my heart is. I think it's electricity. A tiny amount that sustains my heartbeat. My heart starts up on its own once Jack stops directing it. He leans down, listening intently to my chest. I feel his head rise up again.

"Oh, thank god!"

He puts his hand on the side of my face and shocks me with a kiss right on the lips. He must think I'm still unconscious. He pulls away. I'm relieved to feel myself take a breath on my own, and exhale. I'm not sure what to think about the kiss. It complicates things, thats for sure. Maybe it was just a thing he did because he was in the moment. I try to open my eyes, can't, and concentrate on breathing instead. I notice that my heart is a little fluttery, probably because of Jack. I calm it down, barely, and use all of my willpower on opening my eyes. It's like opening a garage door that weighs a ton. Finally, a crack of light emerges in each eye. I pry them open bit by bit, and they stay open. I'm squinting into Jack's eyes when I hear his laugh echo in the blue lit cave.

"_! You're awake! You're ok!"

He pulls me up by my shoulders and brings me into a hug. I'm glad that my face is against his hoodie, otherwise he would see my blush. He doesn't know that I was conscious the whole time. Maybe I should let him believe it, too.

My life sure is dramatic.

He continues to hold me, and I become aware of my shaking. I'm trembling like a leaf.

"_?"

He looks at me strangely, and I see his concern. I turn to the side impulsively, and spit up blood after coughing. I try out speaking. My voice is hoarse and faint.

"Jack, why didn't any water come out? It should have, right? I had it in my lungs."

This detail scares me for some reason. It's like evidence that suggests I didn't actually drown, like I'm imagining the whole thing.

"There was water. A lot of it. I used my power to get it out. I had to freeze it first, though. That's why you're coughing up blood. I'm sorry, it was neccessary. I didn't want to do it, but it was the fastest way."

I understand. I'm also glad that I wasn't conscious for that part. It would have been painfull. I briefly imagine icicles forming inside my lungs.

"Thank you."

I close my eyes selfishly out of exhaustion, then open them out of guilt. And curiosity.

"Jack, could you have used your powers to get me out of the water?"

"Yes, but I would have to freeze it, and that would take time. And I don't know what that'd do to you. It might hurt you, it might not. Not the time for experimenting, either."

"I didn't know I could drown."

"Me neither. Get injured, yes. But get that close to death..."

There was a solemn silence between us.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N : No hard feelings Guest II. And thanks for defending me Cherry and Gaia. **

Chapter 24

"Come on, we should go."

He stands and towers above me for a second. His hand stretches out to mine, and he pulls me to my feet. I'm grateful for the help, because I feel a new wave of sickness roll through me. My legs feel unsure on the inclined floor of stone, and Jack takes it upon himself to fly me out of the cave after watching me stumble around like an injured animal.

I'm soaked through my clothes, and feel cold and clammy. Changing my clothes isn't the best option though, it takes concentration to do that. I just want to sleep. Wind picks up as Jack flys out of the cave's mouth and into the national park. My clothes begin to dry in the sunlight, and Jack lands near a bench off of a pathway. I recognize it, we passed it on the way here hours ago. Jack walks over, carrying me bridal style, and sets me down. I feel exhausted and fight to keep my eyes open. The warm sunlight, the slight cold coming from Jack, my muddled mind, my aching body, all of this makes me want to sleep. I feel guilty when my eyes droop though. I should be awake, to show Jack that I'm fine.

I must've zoned out, because the presence of bright blue brings me back to reality. Jack was saying something to me, but I've been staring blankly ahead into his face. He waves a hand in front of my eyes. He is crouching in front of me, waiting.

"Heeeelo? Hey. _...?"

"Sorry. What'd you say?"

"I asked if you were too tired to fly. I guess I have my answer though."

A lopsided grin and concerned eyes present themselves. He worries too much.

"I can fly."

He seems unconvinced and raises his eyebrows.

"Let's see it, then."

I become competitive suddenly, ready to take on his challenge. I put my exhausted thoughts on hold. My body rolls its eyes in disbelief at my decision. I stand up and sidestep him. It takes enormous determination to bound forward into the air. I hear his feet leave the ground behind me as he follows. Only seconds after supporting my weight with my wings, I realize how heavy they are. They're still burdened with water. I pump them up and down, hoping to dry them and fling off the water. My muscles burn and strain instead. I feel myself sink in the air as the trees get dangerously close. My mind is shutting down, definitely not the best thing to happen while attempting to fly. I remember countless scenes from movies where the altitude meter of an airplane flashes red or shouts a warning at the pilot.

Mine shouts frantically "YOU'RE TOO LOW YOU IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TRY FLYING AFTER DROWNING MINUTES AGO?" I answer back in my delusional, exhausted mind "Ha ha. I'll be fine."

I somehow manage to keep my eyes open, though barely. I brush the top of a scratchy pine tree with my shin, then my thigh. Just as my body starts to pitch forward into the tree tops, Jack pulls me up and away by my arm. He shakes his head and looks at me.

"What'd I tell ya? How 'bout I just carry you the rest of the way?"

"The rest of the way where?"

"Wherever you want to go."

I'm quiet for a minute.

"Your training is done. You've learned everything you need to know. You can take a break."

An opportunity presents itself.

"I should build myself a place to live. Like how Sandy and North and Bunny and Tooth have."

He pulls me closer to him in the air, and holds me bridal style so that I can rest.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"But where... I don't know where I would build it."

"What's your favorite place?"

My eyes close as I try to explain.

"The pond. The pond where I met you. It was so beautiful and clean and sparkling. And cold. I'd rather be cold than hot."

I catch him smiling to himself when I open my eyes a bit. I close then again.

"What if I built it... I dunno."

"What? Where?"

"I was just thinking, what if I didn't even want a place to live. Like a new place. I could just go back to my cabin occasionally to rest. It's already my home. I like it there, you know?"

"I know."

I drift off thousands of feet in the air.

When I wake up, it's dark. I can tell that I'm indoors, though. It smells similar to my cabin, but not quite. I run my hand over whatever I'm lying on in the dark, and feel rough, but comfy, cotton. Once I'm leaning back on my elbows, I feel the cotton give. Must be a mattress. The ground is cold, smooth wood. My toes curl at the chilliness. I cautiously shuffle my feet forward, hoping to avoid a stubbed toe. My hands find a doorframe, and I walk into a hallway. There's a dim light from outside that glows against the walls. They are plain except for the windows. The dulled floorboards spread the light as far as its dim surface can before it reaches me. I go down the hallway, and materialize a baseball bat in my hand. Jack is always there when I wake up. I strain my ears for his sounds, his heartbeat. Nothing but crickets chirping in the night. I pass a window, and stop at the next one on my left. There are dark, looming trees that block my view. A cabin in the forest. An old cabin. The floorboards creak in protest as I put my weight on them. I found a corner and turn right. There's a medium sized room with a rocking chair and fireplace, and an old rug spread on the floor. Cute. A woman's touch. There are kerosine lanterns on the table in the next room. Unlit though. I assume it's a dining room of some sort. Very old style of furniture, though. Something you only see in history books. Behind me sits a large pot bellied stove. It's black and heavy looking. I'm starting to get the feeling that I've left my time period behind once I've explored the rest of the cabin. Everything seems to have come from the colonist days. A butter churner, a contraption covered in thread (possibly a loom), unscented candles, a bow and arrow, an axe, homemade quilts. The house is full of strange things. I like it, but feel uneasy at the same time. Everything is obviously old, but well preserved. I don't feel like I should be here, and Jack still hasn't made an appearance. I decide to step outside onto a porch at what must be the front of the cabin. The whole thing creaks, but feels sturdy and solid under my feet. There's a sign stuck into the ground beside the path leading away from the cabin. I go over to it, and read the white letters.

"~HISTORICAL COLONIST CABIN~

Most likely constructed around the late 17th century by English colonists in the Burgess area. Preserved by the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Burgess."

Burgess?

This could be Jack's home. The cabin sits comfortably among the towering pine trees up the path. Jack has to be nearby. I decide to go looking for him. I don't know the area, but go down the main path that winds away from the cabin. There's a full moon out and white, dim light sifts through the trees onto the path. Everything is beautiful. I continue walking, but feel like I'm going the wrong way. Why would Jack use a path? In the air I glide back towards the cabin. There isn't much to see from up high, except the thick forest encompassing everything but the roof. After flying in a circle I see something far off in front of me. Closer up, it appears to be a flat plot of cleared land. I can see someone down there. They're just standing in the field, perfectly unmoving. It seems eerie, but I glide silently downwards to get closer. The person is tall, and has a hood up. I recognize the hoodie immediately, it's Jack. He has his staff stuck in the ground directly behind him. He hasn't seen me yet, so I decide to land behind him a good ways off. He doesn't hear my heartbeat either. I walk forward on the dirt and grass past stones sticking out of the earth. I don't realize what they are until I see Jack crouch down and put something on the ground in front of him.

I'm in a graveyard.

These are tombstones. I become a little stiff, and stop. Does he want to be alone? He stands up again, and returns to his silent stance. He must have finally heard my heartbeat or footsteps, or maybe he's heard them all along, because he speaks out loud.

"How was your rest?"

I walk to him without replying. His arms hang slack at his sides. Once I'm standing beside him, I look at his face. Who cares about my nap. The moon light shows me watery blue eyes and a splotchy pale face. His nose is red, and his eyelids are drooped down in an expression I could only describe as sorrowful. He's clearly been out here alone and broken, and he wants to know how I am.

At his feet are four tombstones. The names are long gone, weathered away from hundreds of years of rain and wind. I can guess who they are. His father, mother, sister, and himself. Two are tall, but modest, and two are shorter.

"I wish you could've know them, _."

I nod without a word. He misses them. Then I find something to offer.

"I'm sorry."

The crickets chirp in the tall grass surrounding the graveyard.

"You don't need to be. People who've done something wrong, they say sorry."

His voice sounds different. It's rough and strained. His eyes look down at me. A white rose forms in my hand. I crouch down and gently place it in front of the four tombstones. Words come to me.

"Human life cannot be lived completely in the present. Being human means being forced to remember the past. Memory makes it hard to be happy in the present moment. Death can stop the remembering. But death also destroys life and the present moment. This is what it means to be human."

His eyes close when he speaks.

"Friedrich Nietzsche. The Use and Abuse of History, written in 1873."

"You've read it."

"Unfortunately, yes. It was very boring."

"Really? I thought it was... Insightful."

"It was."

The wind blows through the grass and trees. Silence passes between us.

"_, do you think we're human?"

I consider the question for a moment.

"We used to be, and people sometimes claim to be what they were in the past. So I think we are."

We stand silently side by side, looking at the moon. Jack breaks the silence again.

"I'm glad he saved you."

I smile to myself and lower my eyes to the white rose. Jack puts his arm around my shoulders, and holds me to his side. The ground is left behind as he takes me away from the graveyard. We fly back towards the cabin, past it, and further. Jack stops, then lowers himself to the ground below.

I land beside him, and we walk together through the trees without using any pathways. He leads me forward by my hand and seems to know where he's going. Water is running faintly in the distance, and the sound grows stronger as we continue on. The trees thin out abruptly, and I find myself standing at the edge of a pond. The air is humid and cool at the same time. The moon reflects in the black water, and so do the stars. It reminds me of home. I get caught in the moment and continue to take in the beauty. Jack looks out over the water and smiles sadly. I notice his expression, and feel my eyebrows draw together. Is this where he saved his sister?

"This is the pond, _."

My eyes prick and sting without warning and water up. Everything blurs and smears in the moonlight and I blink hard to rid myself of the tears. Here I am, standing at the shore of the pond where Jack died. He turns to face me, and I wipe my eyes quickly. He notices though, and without a word, pulls me to his chest in a hug.

"I'm sorry. I thought I should show you."

I don't cry, because he's alive and hugging me. I don't have a reason to. I take in the moment and faintly smile into his hoodie, happy that he's here.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The moon sets, and the sun rises. Warmth replaces cold. Light takes the place of dark. But darkness has a way of coming back into my life, much like a persistent weed.

We fly away from Burgess together, happy and solemn at the same time. Jack feels a sort of peace, and I do too, after visiting his true home. Of course, we're both quiet in the dawn's light as we drift on the breeze, no particular destination in mind. The visit put a new perspective on things. I sometimes catch Jack looking at me with an emotion I haven't seen before in his eyes. I don't say anything though, it'll probably pass on its own, whatever it is. My mind drifts to the cave where I fell into the water, back in Kentucky, and the incident with Jack.

I replay everything in my mind as we travel in the sky, piecing events together and trying to reach a conclusion. I break down everything into facts.

I blacked out after drowning. Later on, I became conscious, but showed no physical signs of this to Jack. He assumed I was unconscious the whole time. He kissed me, also assuming that I wouldn't experience anything. Did it mean anything? Does it mean anything? Should it?

I come back to reality when I realize I've drifted away from Jack while flying. How ironic. I steer back over to him and offer a sheepish grin as an explanation. He smiles generously, but can see that I have a lot on my mind. I wish things could be simpler between us, but I'm such a complicated person. Shyness doesn't help, and I don't want to admit feelings for someone until I know that they love me too.

Love. Feelings. I think there might be something there, and I just want to put it off as nothing. Can I even be sure that he loves me, or is he just a concerned friend? I feel like huffing and sighing and crossing my arms, but I don't. I can figure this whole 'love' thing out logically.

First of all, I need to know, does Jack love me? He's always cared about me, and seems to like me well enough. He shows off in front of Bunny to me, and has taught me a lot about being what I am now. There was that time he took me to the Mississippi River, too. And dancing at the fair. But those are things a friend would do.

And then there's last night and the kiss. Friends, ordinary friends, don't do that. Definitely.

At this point, it seems like a 50/50 chance that he has serious feelings for me. I need more time to figure this out though. I decide to put it at the back of my mind when he starts speaking.

"So, what's on your mind?"

The entire subject comes back to me, and I feel the urge to spit it out.

"I, uh, I'm just thinking. About Pitch."

"Oh. You're not nervous about fighting him, are you?"

"No, not really. Well, kinda. I feel like when I do fight him, I'll be ready. Thanks to you... And everyone else of course."

He looks content with my answer for a couple seconds, but seems unconvinced that this has been eating up my mind for the past hour or so.

"Are you sure nothing's up?"

I bite my lower lip and lower my eyes to the earth below. What to say...

"Well... Something is up, to be honest. I just don't know how to explain it yet. Or if I can."

He raises his eyebrows slightly at my answer. I don't blame him.

"Does that make sense? I guess I'm just trying to sort out everything that's happened since I became a Guardian."

He nods in understanding.

"Ok."

He puts his hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture, and lets it drop off. No other questions come forward, and I leave my thoughts to battle it out among themselves.

Clouds pass in front of us, and we are momentarily shaded from the sun. The temperature drops, and I glance at Jack. He smiles back at me, and dives down towards earth. I follow without hesitation, staying to his left. The wind pushes my hair up and behind me as we become perpendicular to the ground. Jack spreads his arms out wide to slow himself down, staff in hand.

"This place needs a snow day."

He shoots straight ahead through the sky, and I see a town in the distance. A line of shade rushes forward in front of me following Jack. I look back and see a winter storm forming. The clouds churn and turn dark gray, racing along with their guardian to the town. The air becomes chilly, biting at my skin. I form a white fur coat, and Jack notices. He sends a flurry of snow into my face with his staff, and flys off before I can retaliate. I chase him down a street, past cars and shops and people. None of them react. We don't see any kids yet. He pauses in mid air, and I finally catch up. He tumbles sideways when I launch into his side. Now we're even. We search around for a school and find a elementary academy. Flying by the windows, we see that the classrooms are full of uniform constrained children sitting upright at their desks. Jack flys to the top of the brick prison and raises his staff into the air. I watch from below, standing on the school playground's slide. The clouds gather above him and swirl in lines of gray and white. His staff shines blue light out into the air, and the clouds begin dropping snowflakes. They flow to the staff and disperse all at once in a flurrying explosion. An umbrella of winter spreads over the town for as far as I can see. Snow flutters softly to the sidewalks and rooftops and to people walking by. They seem surprised, perhaps it hasn't snowed in awhile. The recess bell rings, and the kids storm the playground, a river of red uniforms flowing and laughing. The snow sticks to the ground, and before long, everything is white and sparkling. Jack flys down to me and grabs my hand.

"Come on. Ever had a snowball fight?"

The children are all playing quietly in the snow, no one screams or runs. They behave like they've been taught. Orderly. Jack decides to intervene. He forms a snowball in his hand and let's it soar across the playground, like he's pitching a baseball, nailing a kid in the back of the head. The child turns around instantly, surprise evident on his face. He glances around, to make sure a teacher isn't looking, then makes a snowball of his own. He throws it back in the direction it came, and hits another child in the back standing beside us. The child retaliates, friends join friends against rivals, and soon the whole playground erupts into chaos. Jack flys around, looking for opportunities to strike. Kids recognize him immediately, and he seems to glow with happiness. This is what he lives for. I, on the other hand, go unrecognized. No one notices me, and I begin to feel a little disheartened. I walk off the playground, happy to leave Jack to do what he does best. He sees though, from the corner of his eye, and rushes to block my way.

"Hey, where are you going off to?"

Behind me, a child yells to Jack, asking who he's talking to, because no one's there. Jack's eyes widen apologetically, as if the kid was his little brother, or perhaps his son.

"Sorry. Give me a minute?"

"Ya, of course."

I stand alone in the snow, hoping no one thinks I'm a loner, but remember that no one can see me at all. I'm both relieved and saddened.

Before long, I see Jack leading a small group of kids as he walks back over to me. His eyes lock onto mine. He smiles at me, and the children follow him, talking the whole time.

"What are we doing, Jack?"

"Where are we going again?"

"What was her name?"

Her? Jack gestures towards me with his staff, and speaks to the kids.

"I want you all to meet my very good friend, _."

I feel shocked, as if I was dunked in frigid water.

"She's a Guardian, like me. You can't see her yet, because you don't know who she is. That's why I'm telling you. You have to believe in her to see her. Like me."

A little girl with a purple jacket tugs on Jack's hoodie, trying to get his attention. He looks down to her, and she speaks in a quiet voice. I strain my ears to listen.

"Can you tell her I like her wings? I've always wanted wings."

A smile finds its way to my face, and Jack looks over to me. He knows I heard, but repeats the girl's message.

"Victoria likes your wings, _."

"Thank you, Victoria."

She looks right at me, into my eyes, and smiles before hiding her face with her mittened hands. I can barely believe it. I speak in an excited whisper.

"She can see me!"

"What does she look like, Victoria?"

"She has a white dress, and a white coat. Like the kind mommy wears."

The little boy turns to me, the one who spoke to Victoria, and smiles wide.

"Hi! I'm Nathan!"

He must be Victoria's brother, because they both have the same hair color, dirty blonde, and brown eyes.

"I'm _."

I'm not sure what else to say, but Victoria suddenly runs up to me and hugs me around one of my legs. Hugs me. And here I was, fearful that no one would ever see me. I smile down at her, then to Jack. Victoria lets go, and the other kids see me standing there in the snow. One by one, they wave or smile at me, many of them visited by Tooth recently. One kid, Harry, is missing 3 teeth. He proudly announces that he plays hockey for the school. They all group hug me, then pull away. Their curiosity comes through.

"What kind of Guardian are you?"

I look down at a little boy who claims to be 8.

"I'm a Guardian Angel."

"What do you do?"

"I protect kids."

"From what."

"Well, a lot of stuff. Mostly nightmares, though."

"Oh, ok."

They continue to ask about me, and I answer their questions as best as I can. Time passes quickly, and they are sent back inside to learn. Many of them wave goodbye to me, and I wave back for the first time. I stand in the snowy school yard, happy. I hear Jack walking up behind me. The snow crunches, then stops. I turn and hug him.

"Thank you so much! You made them see me! I'm believed in!"

"How do you feel?"

He holds me at arms length, blue eyes searching.

"Amazing."

"Thought you would."

"You're good at making me happy."

"I am?"

"Yes."

I kiss him on the cheek, like I did a long time ago at the top of North's workshop. I make it quick though, hoping to avoid any awkwardness. He's speechless, a rare event. What have I done?! It was an impulse. I blurt out an apology.

"Sorry."

My eyes lower in embarrassment. Definitely awkward.

"_."

I look up at him shyly.

"Why did you apologize? You always apologize."

"I do, don't I."

"Yes. I don't know why, though."

I reply with silence.

"Look, you don't have to be sorry. I'm definitely not... Offended, ok?"

I laugh at him and smile against my will, my eyes lowered to his bare feet. I don't want to love him. That would be complicated. I have things to do. Guardian things. Beating Pitch and protecting kids should be at the top of my list. They're my responsibilities. My priorities.

"Ok, Jack."

I step back, having made my decision. I can't let Jack get in the way of protecting the kids and defeating Pitch. He looks at me with confused eyes. I speak.

"I should train some more, to be ready for Pitch."

He takes a step towards me, smiling confidently in the sunlight. The clouds have left.

"_, you're ready. You just have to wait."

"I want to train though, it'll be good for me."

He buys into it. Guilt washes over me.

"What else do you want to learn?"

I consider this. I can fly well, I can hide ok, I can face my fears, I can shoot straight. I really am ready. But staying occupied is my goal.

"Show me how he fights the Guardians."

"It's different for everyone."

"Come on, there's always a pattern."

Jack narrows his eyes in concentration, then talks.

"Come on, we should go somewhere else, where I can think."

We leave the town behind and fly up high where the air is always clean and cold. Ice crystals are in the air naturally, without Jack's presence.

"I always think clearer up here."

We glide along as I listen to Jack.

"First off, it helps to know that Pitch is a complete narcissist. If you can get him talking about his big plan, or himself, you have him distracted."

"Ok. Sounds easy enough."

"But Pitch, he's really smart too. He may act distracted when he really isn't, and catch you off guard. You may go in for the kill, thinking you're surprising him, but he'll expect it and surprise you."

"So, he uses reverse physiology?"

"Mhmm. Always watch out for that. He also uses his nightmares to surround you when you aren't paying attention. Always listen for the sand moving, it's a dead giveaway. You know what that sounds like, right?"

I recall the induced nightmare, and Pitch snapping Jack's neck.

"Yes, I remember."

"Good, so you'll know when he's trying to surround you. The nightmares don't really have a weak spot- wait a minute."

"What?"

"I just- I know why they're called that now. Nightmares. Mares are horses. Guess they're all girls. Makes sense, they're all so vicious."

"Hey!"

"I can't believe I just now got that. After all this time. Anyway, nightmares don't have a weak spot that any Guardian knows of. Except for little kids touching them. Otherwise, you'll have to fight them like this..."

He stops gliding and stays upright, floating in midair. I make a wide u-turn to get back to him, but by the time I do, he's created an icy version of one of Pitch's nightmares. He makes it behave like one, rearing it's head back and snorting out frigid air through its nostrils. It raises up to its hind legs, stomps back down, and charges at me across the open air.

Without hesitation, I create a smooth metal staff in my hand. I wait for the nightmare to get close, sidestep it, and drive the staff down across its back with all of my weight. The nightmare's back is slick, solid ice though, and my staff leaves only a small crack. It gallops angrily towards me again, reminding me more of a bull, not a horse. This time, I surge up into the air as it passes beneath me, and slam the pole onto the same crack in the ice I made before. It deepens, and Jack shouts to me.

"You're doing pretty well! Now try finishing it!"

The horse charges me again, but this time, I turn and let it chase me through the sky. I can feel its cold breath on my wingtips as I do a loop. It follows, and I bring my wings out like sails to stop me from flying forward once I've done the loop. I turn, like a baseball batter, and swing the staff into the nightmare's face as it completes the loop. It shatters and cracks, distracting the nightmare enough for me to slam the staff down once more onto its back. The whole thing breaks in half and falls away.

Jack approaches with his staff fading back to blue.

"Not bad for your first try. Just wait until there's a hundred or so."

"Ya, really."

"No. Really. Look around."

Surrounding us stand dozens of nightmares, ice of course. Probably exactly a hundred. There was no warning sound of sand. I hope I don't sound nervous when I talk.

"We'll do this together, then?"

"Nope. All you this time..."

I glance uneasily at all of the waiting ice nightmares. They stare back with glazed eyes.

"... I thought you wanted to train."

"I do."

Jack flys up above me, well out of the way of things.

"I won't let you get hurt. And if you want to stop, tell me, ok?"

I nod, turning in a circle, thinking of different ways to do this. No way I can beat them all at once.

Jack lowers his staff towards me, and the horses charge all at once in my direction. I pull my wings in tight to my body and sink like a stone. I form my bow and arrows, making sure to have steel tips. I open my wings and fall with my back to the earth below, so that I face up. After firing several shots off, 6 to be exact, I notice that the icy nightmares could care less. My arrows ricochet off of their smooth bodies and fall away uselessly. I quickly change the arrow tips from pointed arrowheads to flat, heavy cubes of lead. The next batch of arrows does considerable damage to each nightmare, cracking and chipping away at their heads. One falls away after a perfect bullseye between it's eyes, and I aim for that spot on the others. They fall away also, probably a fifth of the entire pack. I turn over to face the earth once they start catching up with me. The bow and arrow are replaced by two maces, something I've only read about in history books. It takes a lot of concentration to make them, since I've never held one before. They are heavy and spiked, perfect for what I have in mind.

I continue to gain distance ahead of the nightmares vertically, and once I'm sure I'm far ahead, I emergency stop with my wings and fly straight up to them. They aren't expecting my maces, and I hold them out, clothes lining nightmares left and right. Ice shatters and they fall away in pairs. My arms begin to tire from the weight of my new weapons, and a nightmare manages to snag me by my wing as I pass by. I feel it clamp down on the feathers with its teeth, and tug against the direction I'm flying. My hair covers my face as I'm yanked backwards. It hurts enough for me to yelp in anger and pain. My maces lash out at the nightmare, making contact several times as it shatters into cold dust. I hear Jack, not too far off.

"Should we stop?"

"We?"

I smash one mace down on a nightmare's back as the second mace goes flying into another nightmare's surprised face, which shatters immediately.

"Isn't this all me?"

I hit the first nightmare again, and it breaks apart like its companion.

"I thought you might be hurt."

Another nightmare's face gets acquainted with my mace, as does his friend. I can no longer stay in one spot, there are too many. I fly away to get the advantage.

"I not hurt. I'm fine."

"_, you're missing feathers."

Half of the nightmares are left. They come at me in a wave of shining ice. I charge at them with my maces raised high, ready to finish the training exercise. I start swinging into the solid mass and a chorus of ringing and cracking fills the frosty air. Five fall away. I fly above them, dive back into the fight, and shatter seven before coming out into the open air again, they follow me up, and I form a shield to replace one mace. I'm starting to feel battered, and bruises are sure to make an appearance later. Three charge me all at once, and fall away seconds later. Many take their place though, and I'm surrounded. I bash into them with my shield, trying to escape their diamond hard bodies, only to bounce back. I'm ready to charge through them to try and get back to open air when they all dissolve away into sparkling dust.

Jack stands before me, his staff fading. I hover in the air, unmoving except for my pulsing wings. They hurt, the right one more so because of the nightmare yanking it back earlier. I start to tilt as the left one picks up the slack for it. Jack comes closer, ready to help me if I need it. I do, but I won't admit it. Stubbornness is a trait I inherited from my mother.

"Why'd you stop the fight?"

He raises his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. I was gonna finish it. I wanted to."

"You're hurt pretty bad. I thought I should prevent any other injuries. Besides, I said I wouldn't let you get hurt."

"You also said that if I wanted to stop the training, I could say so."

He's quiet for a moment.

"Look, _. I've always been bad at watching people get hurt. Especially my friends and people I care about."

Wonder which category I fall under.

"I'm reckless, I'll admit that, and I shouldn't have put you in a fight you wouldn't win."

Deep down, I know I wouldn't have won, but my pride tends to jump in my way.

"How do you know I wouldn't have beat them? I was halfway there, Jack."

He seems exasperated.

"Look at yourself. You're... you're bleeding."

He comes closer to me and grabs my arm carefully, avoiding a new bruise. He keeps me from flying in a circle with my injured wing. I keep pulsing them though, to hold my weight as best as I can.

"_, can you just relax for a second? I got you."

I look down to my arm. I stop moving my wings and let him keep me in the air.

He frowns and looks at my face. I can feel faint stinging from cuts. Probably from nightmare hooves. He looks at my arms too, and my shins. Both are bruised and battered. My right wing also manages to catch his eye. Bright red drips off of one of my feathers and falls towards the earth. I briefly imagine it landing in the ocean. Jack touches my right wing carefully, trying to get a better look at it. I wince and he apologizes.

"Don't apologize, you don't have to. I wanted to train, remember?"

We leave it at that, because I am right.

A handful of feathers are missing, but I manage to fly back to the safety of the ground with some occasional help from Jack. We end up landing in a desert of some sort. It's flat and as far as I can see, there is only cracked dirt around for miles. Jack says we're in Arizona. The sun is almost down though, and we both sit down on the ground. Jack wants to see my wing again, so I stretch it out to my right as far as I can. He sits in front of it, and starts gently rearranging my feathers to see where the nightmare bit down. The spot is near the bone of my wing, right where the feathers come out. Luckily, the nightmare's teeth missed my muscle and tore out pure feathers. My muscles were still sore though, ripped and torn on the inside from the sudden change in direction. It was starting to swell up around the area where four feathers were missing, so Jack conveniently formed ice onto my wing. When he was finished,he wanted to try the same trick on my bruises, but I objected as soon as the ice covered my warm skin. It was too cold to bear, so Jack simply frosted the bruises with a thin layer of ice crystals. I looked like I had been covered in glitter. When he finishes, I draw my wing in to my side, and he sits down beside me on the desert floor.

The sun looks powerful from the ground, huge and blinding. Minutes pass away until the sun seems less bright. The sky is ablaze with warm colors of red and orange. Cooler colors frame the entire event with violet and deep indigo. The stars come out in clusters at a time as the sun disappears below the horizon. Before we know it, the sky is deep and velvety. I see a star that blinks every second, and focus on it. The light is old, sent out of the star many, many years ago. It is just now making it to my eyes here on the earth. For all I know, the star could be dead, an empty space of blackness out there away from everything.

"Jack, why is it that when I train, I get hurt?"

We both laugh at this though, because it's completely true.

"You're bad luck, probably."

"Huh. Never thought of that. Maybe a leprechaun could help me out."

"He exists, you know."

"Oh. Well then. Glad he's not here."

I can see him smirk at that, then he looks up into the sky.

"How's your wing feeling?"

"Good enough to use again."

"Really? That fast?"

"No. It's sore."

"You're always kidding with me."

"I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to Jack Friggin Frost, the master of kidders."

"So I'm your master?"

I give him an incredulous stare.

"Uh, no, because I'm not a kidder. I'm just witty."

"And sarcastic."

"Like you aren't."

"Hey, birds of a feather..."

He holds up the handful of my missing feathers and grins cheesily.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious, Jack."

"I know."

We become quiet like usual when there's nothing else to say. Because of the lack of noise, I accidentally pick up on Jack's heartbeat. It's calm and constant, thumping consistently. I wonder if he's listening to mine. And he's probably wondering if I'm listening to his, while listening to mine.

Heartbeat-ception.

Well, not really. Inception means the beginning of something.

Oh, irony. What are you doing here at this time of night? What's that? Oh, you think "the beginning of something" implies that I've finally come to the realization that I love Jack? Hmm. Maybe.

My heartbeat has picked up, and I feel like- actually he can hear it. His head tilts to the side a bit. Great.

"You ok?"

I clear my throat.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"...ok..."

I concentrate on calming my heart down. It finally listens to me and returns to normal.

For some reason, I think of my parents. I suddenly miss them for the first time in a long time. Are they looking down on me now? Wondering why I'm sitting beside this white haired boy. In the middle of the desert. With an injured wing.

I'm sure they'd approve of Jack. Maybe.

I glance at him, and he's closing his eyes and drifting off.

I think they'd like him. Definitely.

Suddenly, Jack speaks. It startles me, because I thought he was sleeping.

"Do you remember the promise I made?"

"When?"

"The day you, uh, died."

He spoke the last word quietly.

"Yes. You said that we'd be ok. I made you promise me."

He nods, and faces me.

"There was another, too. I just now started thinking about it again. I haven't in awhile because... I don't know. I just haven't."

"The one about Pitch?"

"Yes. That one. And I still plan on carrying it out."

"Revenge isn't always the best motivation."

His eyes shine into mine.

"How can you say that?"

I don't speak up. He suddenly becomes louder.

"_, he KILLED you! I can't let that go! How can I?"

He narrows his eyes.

"How can you?"

This time I have a response.

"Because the moon brought me back, and that's what matters. At least, that's what should matter."

His eyes widen in disbelief.

"_, do you realize that I thought you were gone? As in gone, and staying in the ground. He did that to me. He took you away. You can't be human anymore. You're missing out on so much, and you don't even realize it. That's why I want him to pay."

I exhale in an exasperated sigh. Jack is right. Pitch can't get away with murder. And I too want him to pay for what he did to me, although my reason is justice, not revenge.

"Ok, Jack."

He is quiet for a moment, but offers an apology.

"Sorry for shouting at you."

"It's ok. Sorry for causing you to shout."

But I'm not.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

We continue to sit in the dark together in silence. My mind wanders through everything happening. How did I end up here? I remember making the distinct decision to go ice skating that day. The cold air, the pond. And eventually Jack. The shock of his abrupt appearance was comical. I kept thinking, where did this boy come from? And where are his shoes?! I was disbelief at the sight of him, standing there, smirking down at me. I remember his cold hands and the wind he made for me.

"What are you thinking about?"

I'm brought back to the present by his voice.

"Just... The day I saw you for the first time. Do you remember it?"

"Yes. The day I decided to tease a helpless girl on the ice."

His word choice stood out to me.

"Helpless? How so?"

He narrows his eyes in thought, then recalls the day in more detail.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice you flailing around the ice, and I thought to myself-"

He turns and looks at me pointedly.

"-wow! What a helpless girl! Out there! On the ice! Flailing!"

My eyebrows shoot up in embarrassment and shock. I lean towards him and punch him in the arm, pulling back at the last moment a bit to not cause any pain. He responds by shoving me back, and I stand up from the dusty, cold ground.

"What are you-?"

I kick dust onto his hoodie and run away, feet pounding against the dirt, laughing the entire time. I glance back and find that he isn't where he sat before. I think to myself: as soon as I turn around, he'll be right in front of me. Preparing for the inevitable, I swing my face forward while dropping to the dirt, simultaneously evading a flurry of cold air and snow that rushes over my head. It was definitely meant for my face. Jack is above me as I slide forward, looking down in surprise. I shoot away into the night sky, using the pinpoints of stars as a reference for where ground and sky begin and end. It's so dark though, and I can hear Jack laughing loudly behind me. I have seconds until he catches up, and dive downwards. My injured wing protests the pull of the wind and gravity against my muscles, and I give up on that idea. Gliding in defeat, Jack easily finds me in the starlight, his staff resembling a blue glow stick. He smiles at me, only feet away from my left wing, and I see his eyes shine blue beside his staff.

"You seriously think you can outrun me?"

I correct him happily.

"You mean outFLY?"

"Ya, whatever."

I grin at him, feeling victorious.

"And yes, I think I can outfly you."

His eyebrows raise in doubt as a smile plays across his face in the blue glow. I reconsider what I've said.

"Ok, maybe if my wing wasn't hurt. Then I definitely would have beaten you."

The landscape is dark and plain below, but along the horizon, the stars are interrupted by jagged edges.

"Are those... Mountains?"

Jack nods.

"Looks like it."

"Let's go see."

I dive down to pick up speed, putting the pain aside. I really want to beat Jack this time. The ground rushes nearer, and I pull away from it to head for the black mountains ahead. A quick glance over my shoulder shows no sign of Jack, and when I look forward expecting him to be there, he isn't. I hear his laugh though, and he's speeding above me, his staff darkened. The ragged edges of black draw closer, and we both pull up short of the mountain's face. I can feel a breeze coming from somewhere nearby, and it stands out compared to the night air of Arizona. It even smells different. Jack feels it too, and we share an equal look of curiosity before searching for the source of the air current. Jack hollers out to me in the dark, then his staff lights up.

"Hey _! Over here! I found something."

The air seems to be spilling out of a dark cave when Jack directs the light of his staff over the rocky side of the mountain. I immediately hover back several feet. I have a bad history with caves. I met Pitch in one by my cabin, and drowned in another. Jack notices my hesitation, but peers closer into the dim entrance. I draw up beside him, my wing aching badly. Lowering down to the side of the mountain, I look into the cave like Jack. It's cool and inviting compared to the night air of the desert. I can feel the temperature dropping, and not just from Jack's presence. It will be freezing soon, and the cave looks more fun to explore by the second.

I decide that I'll just stay with Jack, and watch out for puddles, and I'll be fine. It's not like Pitch or any of his nightmares would be out here anyways.

I look up to Jack, and he touches down on the ground beside me.

"Wanna look around?"

I nod and watch as he takes the first steps into the cave's mouth. His staff provides enough light to cast abstract shadows from the stalactites and stalagmites that resemble teeth. At the back of my mind, I feel nervous about this cave in particular, but follow Jack through the narrow pathway between the rock walls. We trek along for several minutes, looking for anything interesting. I keep my eyes on his white hair, slightly blue in this lighting, and listen for anything strange. Suddenly, my ears pick up on something behind us. I spin around quickly, eyes wide, but see nothing but darkness and the path we took. When I turn around, my heart leaps into my throat. There are several paths to take in front of me, and none have Jack walking down any of them.

"Jack?"

My echo reaches my ears almost mockingly.

His heartbeat is silent, and I start to worry. I close my eyes, open them and peer down each pathway, searching for the blue glow of his staff. Nothing. But I hear his footsteps fading away quickly, and panic makes my heart flutter.

I need to find him, now.

My feet race across the stone floor of the cave, and down the path with Jack's footsteps. I run, dodging the occasional rock formation, and hear the steps grow louder to my relief. My heart slows down, happy to not be alone in this strange cave. I can see Jack's tall figure ahead, staff in hand and glowing. I quicken my pace to reach him. I'm walking behind him when I notice...

Something is off.

The light isn't the same as before.

But Jack seems to be ok. However, his heartbeat is... different. Slower almost. He could be calm, or relaxed. I push away my uneasy feelings and continue walking behind him. I feel like I should say something.

"So, what are we looking for?"

"Anything interesting, obviously."

His voice is normal enough, but I can feel the trace of annoyance present. It's a little uncharacteristic.

"Oh. Ok. Um, Jack?"

"Yes?"

Again, his voice sounds annoyed, and a little hateful even.

I shift my eyes to his hands. They seem different. Gray even.

"Are you ok?"

"That depends..."

This time, his voice is unsettlingly calm.

He turns around to look at me, and I take a step back from him.

His lips are smirking at me. His stance is intimidating.

His eyes aren't the familiar blue I've known since day one.

They're golden.

I kick down on his knee as hard as I can, hear a crack, and run. I hope it's broken as I tear down the pathway back the way I came. I hope he falls, trips, anything. I can feel terror in my heart, just a trace of it, but fight it away with the thought of open Arizona air. I just need to make it that far. Something yanks on my bad wing, my right one. I know who, but power forward, dragging them along with me, breathing heavily. Seconds later, I sneak a look back and nearly scream.

That is DEFINITELY not Jack.

His mouth is snarled open at me, sharp teeth bared. His hair isn't white, but black, and his skin is all gray. And his eyes motivate me the most to run forward. They are just like Pitch's.

Even more terrifying is the way he pursues me. He doesn't run in rhythm like the real Jack, but limps and jerks awkwardly after me. His knee is dislocated, but he manages to somehow keep pace with me. He reminds me of some kind of monster that should only be existent in movies. His face looks like Jack's though.

I can feel the air change ahead of me, and hope fills my mind. I'm going to make it out. The stars fill my vision as I take the last steps into the air, yanking both wings forward and away from his clutches. The pressure on my wings go away, and I surge forward away from the cave. I turn around cautiously, ready for a fight, but see nothing. My mind is in overdrive, a bad thing, because fear makes my senses overload and the outside world is a loud roar in my ears.

I leap forward when a hand rests on my shoulder. Spinning hysterically, I grip the hand, and prepare to yank the person forward into my fist.

"Hey! What the heck _?!"

I freeze. My eyes widen in the dark, then Jack's blue eyes appear in the glow of his staff. His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he takes in my facial expression. I must look terrified. A sentence manages to form.

"Are you... um... Really you?"

He lightly grasps my wrist and pulls me closer to him in the blue glow.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be? What's going on? I lost you back there, in the cave."

His skin is cool, and his eyes shine with worry. His heartbeat fills my ears. It has to be him.

"I... I lost you to. I tried to find you again, I swear I did too... but..."

I can feel him searching my face for the answer.

"...but... I found something else. I don't know what, but it looked like you. Just like you. Until it looked at me."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it was, well... Something related to Pitch."

As the words leave my mouth, Jack's eyes widen, then narrow in anger.

"Why does he always have to mess with you? Every time, I swear!"

"Jack."

He raises his hands to his head in frustration and squeezes his eyes shut.

"I mean, can't he just... Just leave you alone?!"

"Jack."

"You're innocent! You've done nothing wrong!"

"Jack!"

I put my hand on his shoulder to get his attention. His eyes snap open and blue peeks out through white bangs.

"Sorry, I'm just... Frustrated."

"I can see that. Look, we're going to find him, Jack, but... We should go see North. And everyone else. They need to know we saw him. Or whatever that thing was."

Jack considers my proposition, then nods in agreement.

"Ok. Come on."

We soar up high into the night air of the desert, made chilly by the absence of the sun. Jack hesitates, finds north, and we take off that way. I glance back at the cave's mouth as we leave the mountains. Blackness stares back. I visibly shudder, and Jack notices, but he doesn't question me any further. He must think it best if I just explain what I saw once in front of everyone when we arrive at North's workshop. I'm grateful though.

As we fly northwards for the Arctic circle, yellow eyes flash through my mind. I could have sworn I was following the real Jack back in that cave. How can Pitch create something so lifelike from his nightmare sand? It doesn't seem possible. But it has to be. And what if I have to face that Jack again, in a fight even? That would be terrifying, especially if that dark Jack fights like the real one, the one who glides on the wind beside me now.

Jack must pick up on my nervousness, and sets a hand on my shoulder as I pump my wings in concentration. The right one still smarts from the ice-nightmare.

"Want to take a break?"

My face takes on a small smile in reaction to his kindness.

"I'm ok. Wouldn't want to hold up our arrival."

In truth, my right wing is starting to feel numb in the corner where the feathers were ripped out. The cold air isn't exactly helping the blood flow either. I conjure up a white aviator jacket to wear over a white sweater. My legs become covered in white jeans, and my feet sport white boots. Jack smirks in my direction.

"Am I making you cold?"

"You? Never."

We share a sarcastic smile.

The feeling starts to return to my injured wing as my body warms up. I blink hard, and feel my eyelashes stick together, as if I was wearing clumpy mascara. Wiping them in annoyance, I laugh to myself when frost and ice comes off. I pointedly raise my eyebrows at Jack.

"Hey, not me."

He eyes betray him though. They shine bright with mischief. Gold flickers in their place for a split second in my mind's eye. I rub my eyes roughly, trying to erase that particular memory. Luckily, Jack thinks I'm just rubbing more ice out of my eyelashes.

The air grows colder by the mile, and soon, we are over the white landscape that surrounds the well disguised workshop. After circling several times, Jack spots the snowy entrance and glides down to it ahead of me. I try to keep up without giving myself too much pain, but fail. My teeth grind together against my will as the wind tugs at the sore spot. I make it though, and land as smoothly as possible beside Jack in front of the giant oak doors. He knocks hard against the wood with his staff, and seconds later, we hear the faint shouts of frustrated yetis muffled by the solid doors. They must know it's Jack. Finally, with a great groaning of hinges, the doors swing outwards, and Jack backs up out of the way. A wall of aggravated yetis stare out across the snow, their furry brows raised in expectation. I step forward, and they all instantly relax as a few rush forward to see me. Then, the one known as Phil picks me up in a warm hug before setting me down softly on the cold ground. He leads me by my hand through the wall of yetis, seeming to forget about Jack. Behind me, I hear him speak up, sarcasm ever evident.

"Good to see you too, Phil."

The yetis take us inside the warm workshop, and lead us to the Globe of Believers. We wait for North there, and the yetis go back to their work after I assure them that I'll keep Jack out of trouble. They wave to me and I wave back. I've always liked them. Then, a herd of elves scurry out to see us. They balance trays of cookies and hot cocoa, and jingle as they dash about. In the distance, I hear North's voice boom out orders to the yetis.

"I already told you, no purple! This isn't Easter, is Christmas!"

Several frustrated groans erupt from the yetis, and some slam their heads into the work tables.

North walks up to Jack and I, his face breaking into a smile upon seeing us. He reaches down to grab the platter of cookies from an elf, unknowingly picking up the elf along with the platter, and offers it to us. The elf jingles as the tray sways.

"Oh, thank you."

I'm never one to turn down free food, especially cookies. Jack hesitates, but takes one also. North grabs three, and puts the tray back down.

"Walk with me."

He leads us around the globe, and through several workstations full of yetis concentrating on their work. I glance around, and see the high vaulted ceiling of the workshop. The memories collide in my mind. The training with weapons, and especially that game of tag with Jack that resulted in a kiss on the cheek. I never gave it much thought until now. How had he taken it?

Before fretting any longer, North opens the doors to his office. We follow him in, and close the doors. Their are ice creations everywhere, and North navigates around them to get to his enormous desk. It matches his personality well. After taking a seat in his equally large chair, he gestures for us to take a seat. My attention is caught by the window behind him that offers a view of the icy landscape. Jack gets my attention by blasting my face with his icy breath. I blink in annoyance, then turn to North. He is smiling to himself, watching Jack and I. I straighten up, and elbow Jack.

"So, what brings you two to my workshop?"

I speak up first.

"Well, last night, Jack and I were out flying after some fighting practice. I got hurt, and we rested in Arizona, in a desert."

North's bushy eyebrows rose at this news.

"You got hurt? How?"

Jack looked sheepishly at me, then explained after looking at North.

"I made some ice versions of the nightmares, and she fought them. One of them got her though, bit her in the wing."

North still looked concerned.

"I'm fine though."

At that moment, I subconsciously twitch my injured wing to get some feeling back into it. It draws the attention of both North and Jack, and they raise their eyebrows at me in question.

"Well, mostly fine. It's a little sore, but I'll be ok."

North seems satisfied with my answer, and Jack seems a little worried still. He was under the impression that it had already healed.

"Um, anyways, we found a cave, and explored it. I- uh, lost Jack somehow. I thought I heard something and turned around, and then I couldn't find him again. Well, I thought I did. I heard him-"

North broke in.

"You heard him? How?"

My face flushed.

"I- I can hear his uh, you know... His heartbeat."

My eyes lower to the floor in embarrassment. North has an all knowing smile on display when I finally look up. I cough and continue.

"So, I thought I found him. I followed him for a minute or so, I think. And then... I asked what we were looking for, and he sounded annoyed when he answered. I thought it was unusual, and then I noticed his hands."

At this point, both Jack and North are looking at me with serious expressions.

"They weren't like Jack's. They were gray. A lot like... well, Pitch's. So I asked if he was ok, and he turned around and said 'That depends...' and I saw his eyes. They were golden, and I kicked down on his knee and ran out."

I left out the eerie part of the chase, where the dark version of Jack stumbled after me, his teeth snarling back and a murderous look in his eyes. Maybe I would tell Jack later, but not right now.

Both of them sat in silence, looking at me, considering what I'd said. North came to a conclusion.

"This was definitely Pitch's doing."

I nod solemnly.

"I will gather the others, and we will all talk. _, will you tell them what you've told me?"

"Of course."

I'm dreading it though. To distract myself, I start fiddling with my hands. North stands up from his chair, walks around the desk, and straight out of the office. Jack stands next, and I follow him as we walk out to the globe together. North has already activated the Northern Lights, and waits patiently in an area similar to a living room. The fireplace is lit, like last time, and there are several chairs and couches in a semicircle facing the fire. I walk over and take a seat on a large red couch, and Jack sits down beside me seconds later to my surprise. He leans towards me and whispers so that North doesn't hear.

"I know you're not telling me something."

I whisper back harshly.

"Not right now. Maybe later. I have some things to sort through, ok?"

"Fine. It's just that... You seem all edgy and it's making me nervous. You never act like this."

"You actually noticed?"

"How could I not? You've been all twitchy about every sound since we got here."

I huff out a breath of air.

"And I can see right through your 'I'm fine' act."

Before I can respond, a hole opens up in front of the fireplace, and Bunny leaps out and lands deftly on the floor. He smiles when he sees me.

"Aye, Sheila!"

I stand from the couch, and he picks me up in a warm, furry hug. He sets me down, and looks over to Jack who remains seated, arms crossed, glaring.

"Aye, Frostbite."

"Hey, Kangaroo."

The boys glare at each other before I turn and see a blur of teal rushing at me. Tooth, probably. I'm embraced and lifted off the ground once again, and hear the hum of wings beside my ears.

"Oh, _! How are you?! I've missed you!"

"Haha, really Tooth? I wouldn't have guessed."

I smile at her, and she let's me out of the tight hug. I shrug my right wing to make the numbness go away.

"So, how's your flying going?"

"Great, actually, thanks to you and Jack."

"Aww, you're too sweet!"

We both turn when jingling fills the room. Sandy stands several feet away, holding an elf by his hat. I run over to him and pick him up in a hug. He pats my back in greeting, and I put him down again.

North walks into the room and greets everyone.

"Hello everyone! I called you all here for important reason. Please, sit."

Everyone takes a seat on a couch or chair, and North stays in front of the fireplace.

"_ needs to tell you all something very important."

His voice sounds more serious, and I can feel everyone's attention directed towards me as I stand and move to the fireplace.

"Hi everybody."

I recount everything that happened in the past night, and got through the description of what I saw in the cave. Everyone seems shocked at the news, except for North and Jack who've already heard it.

Tooth can't sit still any longer and floats up into the air above her seat, Sandy does the same, and Bunny rises to join in the conversation.

"What we need to do is find bloody Pitch before he attacks us, like last time! Right Sandy?"

Sandy nods in agreement with Bunny, and the two look over to Tooth. She considers their plan, then also agrees.

"We should at least know where he is."

Then, North speaks up.

"Yes, yes. We should use all resources on locating Pitch. The sooner we know where he is, the better."

I look over to Jack to see what he thinks. He meets my eyes, and we seem to be thinking the same thing. What happens if this is all part of Pitch's plan? Disperse everyone far and wide, then strike where no one's looking. The Pole.

"Ah-hem."

No one notices me.

Jack slams his staff down onto the floor, sending frost climbing outwards and cold wind biting for everyone's attention.

"Thanks."

I step up to the four guardians in front of me.

"What if this is what Pitch wants? To distract everyone away from the workshop, so it's easier to take over?"

Realization crosses over the faces looking down at me.

"Little one has a point."

North scratches his beard in thought. His blue eyes light up when he comes across a solution.

"What if you and Jack stayed behind here, while Bunny, Tooth and I search for Pitch? I trust you to keep Jack from mischief, yes?"

I consider this option. Together, Jack and I would be fine, as long as Pitch didn't show up himself. Which was a possibility. But, I've been training hard for... Days? Or was it weeks? Either way, my abilities combined with Jack's would at least cause the nightmare king a severe annoyance. There was even the tiny chance that we could beat him without outside help. I decide that watching over things here would be best, especially if the other Guardians could possibly find Pitch. And if anything ever went wrong-

In the corner of my eye, I see the switch that signals the Northern Lights.

"Ok. We'll stay here and watch over things."

I give them my best confident smile, and North seems satisfied with my answer. Jack is mildly annoyed that North wants me to keep him out of "mischief", but agrees to stay behind.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N : **I just wanted to thank everyone for the awesome reviews and for the support while writing this story. You guys all rock :D And here is yet another chapter. Enjoy :)

Chapter 27

Jack and I watch as Bunny opens a hole, winks, and plunges out of sight. Tooth hovers over.

"I have to get back to my palace to coordinate a search effort with my fairies. Be careful, you two."

She hugs me and holds me tight, then lets go. Afterwards, she hugs Jack goodbye, too. I hear her whisper something to him when she thinks I can't hear.

"I know you'll keep her safe. If anything happens... Just take care of yourselves, ok?"

He nods in understanding. Tooth glances back at me, smiles and waves as she leaves the workshop through a snow globe portal. I see Sandy out of the corner of my eye waving. I turn, and so does Jack, as the little golden man floats high up into the workshop. A bi-plane, constructed of dream sand of course, appears and Sandy is whisked off from the workshop.

"Little one, have you seen the sleigh?"

I turn to face North, who waits for Jack and I by some sort of elevator. I shake my head 'no' and North waves me over. The elevator takes us down, and I can feel the air grow warmer by the second. Finally, it shudders to a stop, and the doors open to reveal empty stables lining an enormous, stuffy room. It smells of hay and... Some sort of animal.

"Is this where the reindeer are kept?"

"Yes, little one. Come, this way."

We walk through the stable area and into a chilly space sculpted from the ice. There is a tunnel to my right, and two large wooden doors to my left. They swing open, and I catch a wide smile appearing on Jack's face. Jingling and ringing and stomping fill my ears. Large yetis lead the team of reindeer towards us. Jack pulls me back with his staff, and my cheeks glow red. That was close. The reindeers charge and rear until coming to a stop. Behind them is a sleigh, sleek but rather old fashioned at the same time. Now Jack isn't the only one smiling.

I run up to it, seeing my reflection in the gloss, and look at North who sits proudly on the front bench. He grabs the reins from a yeti beside him, and waves as I, once again, am pulled back by Jack. North snaps the reins, and the reindeer lurch forward through the tunnel. It is suddenly quiet, except for the chattering yetis, who leave the same way they came. Jack turns to me, a grin showing on his face.

"Come on, we should go back up."

The ride back to the main floor of the workshop is slower than going down. Maybe the elevator sort of free fell going down? We step out onto the wooden floor and walk forward until we are in front of the Globe of Believers. The twinkling lights remind me of the river in Mississippi with Jack, and Arizona too. My eyes wander over the globe until they rest on my home. Or where it should be.

"What're you thinking about?"

Jack is leaning over the railing when I glance over at him. The lights on the globe reflect off his hair.

"Home. Stars. The meaning of life. Stuff like that."

I notice that his face is more serious than usual. Then I remember. He wants to know what I've kept from him about the dark Jack.

"I'm guessing you want to know about what I saw last night?"

"What aren't you telling me? You're always so straightforward."

"Well... I'm just a little, surprised. By what I saw."

"Which was...?"

"Ok. Well, that guy in the cave was a perfect resemblance of you! Apart from the skin color and hair, and eyes, you could have been twins. I didn't know Pitch could make something so... Lifelike."

My voice gets quieter as I go on.

"And I hate to admit it... but I was actually really scared. The way he moved even. It was like he was a monster. I guess he really was, though."

I look up at Jack, feeling embarrassed that I had admitted that I was afraid. Guardians shouldn't be afraid of anything. His face is unreadable, though. I continue speaking.

"I've just been thinking, what if... ah never mind."

"What?"

I sigh.

"What if dark Jack shows up here?"

Jack's eyes narrow. His face looks determined when he looks at me.

"Then we beat him."

He's missing my point.

"Ya. But I guess I'm trying to say... I'm afraid of him."

I look down at my hands gripping the railing and relax them.

"What?"

I look straight at Jack and repeat myself.

"I'm afraid of him. And every time I see you, I get a glance of him."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. They sound harsh, like they're not mine. Jack's eyes narrow in pain as be leans away from the railing.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I... I just mean that... I literally see him when I see you sometimes. Like... Your eyes. They change, flicker, to gold."

"Really? That's... Strange."

"I don't know why, but it just happens. And I'm just afraid that he'll turn up, ya know?"

Jack steps closer to me, and my breath hitches.

His eyes are gold. And they're not changing back to blue like usual.

I instinctively step back from him as he looks down at me in confusion.

"Uh, you ok?"

"J-Jack... Your eyes..."

"What... oh, are they gold?"

He stays in place looking worried, but reaches out to me.

"Hey, it's me. Ok?"

"But you look like him..."

"I'm not. You know that."

I stare into the gold, tell myself that its the real Jack steadily, and watch in relief as his eyes fade back to bright blue.

Jack notices my face relax.

"Are they... Normal again?"

"Yes. I think so."

"_, we have to find out what's causing this. It's not good for you to be seeing this stuff."

"Ya got that right."

He puts his hand on my shoulder and guides me around the globe. His hand brushes my wing as we walk, and he stops abruptly.

"What the..."

He looks down at my injured wing, and peers closer at the spot where I was injured. I feel nervous. What does he see there? He carefully touches the spot where the feathers are missing, and draws his hand back quickly.

"Jack, what is it?"

I try looking at my wing myself, but can't see the spot that's injured. Jack holds me still, then guides me down a hallway I haven't been through before.

"Where are we going?"

"The medical bay."

"Hey! What's wrong? Tell me, I can't see."

"That's why we're going there."

He shoves the door open and pulls me over to a white sheeted bed. I sit on the edge while he runs across the room to grab two mirrors. He returns and holds one behind the spot I want to see, while I use the other to reflect the other mirror's image to my eye. My eyes go wide at what Jack shows me. He pulls the larger feathers back, and below them are tiny black veins branching out from where my feathers were missing.

"What... what is that?!"

"Probably Pitch's work, but do you know how you got it?"

I think back to the cave and dark Jack. He had to be the one who did this. The veins looked like they were filled with Pitch's nightmare sand.

"I remember dark Jack pulling on that wing, and it hurt a lot. Back in the cave. He must've done something, infected it with nightmare sand."

I look at the spot again, and the shimmery veins.

"Jack, this is causing the hallucinations. This fear sand. It has to be."

"We need to figure out how to... Get it out of you. And how far it goes into your body. It's obviously in your bloodstream if you're seeing things."

"What if it gets further, or more gets in?"

"Then I guess your hallucinations get worse."

"More lifelike."

He nods silently, and sits down on the bed beside me.

"What if... I took a syringe and pulled the sand back out? Could that work?"

"Maybe."

I hate needles.

"But could we find some pain medication first?"

"_, we don't know if the sand could mess with the meds, like morph it into something harmful instead of helpful."

"Oh."

"So, should we try this?"

I consider my options. Keep hallucinating dark Jack, or have the real Jack.

"Yes. It'll only get worse if we don't."

"Ok."

He moves over to a counter with several drawers and cabinets. Everything in here is white. He opens them and searches until he finds a syringe in a package of plastic. I hear the plastic tear as he rips it open with his hands, and he walks over to me. The syringe is thick compared to shots I've had as a kid. I can see the opening on the tip of the steel.

"Maybe you should lay down."

I center myself on the small bed and watch with wide eyes as Jack comes closer.

"Have you ever done this before?"

"No."

I laugh nervously.

"This is going hurt, ok?"

I nod quickly.

"Ok."

He seems to remember something, and goes back to the cabinet. I exhale deeply, and watch as he comes back with a small, white towel and some rubbing alcohol. He rolls it up and hands it to me.

"You should bite down on this, ok?"

He moves over to my right side, and I extend my wing out for him. Every feather is stretched out to make it easier. I put the towel in my mouth and clamp down on it.

"Hold on to something, alright?"

I nod before scrunching the sheets into my tight fists. Good enough. I close my eyes as he leans over me and pours some rubbing alcohol onto my feathers. It's cold and slightly stinging. Then, I feel him carefully move my wing closer to himself, and the needle piercing my skin. It plunges into my muscle, right where it's the most tender. My teeth grind against the soft towel, and my toes curl in pain. My fists tighten the sheets and I open my eyes to see my white knuckles and Jack's expression. He really doesn't want to do this. I can feel the plunger sucking out the sand, and watch as the syringe fills with sparkling black. I feel some tears roll out and down my face. Jack glances down at me, and I must look like mess.

"Hold on _... I almost... Ok! Got it!"

He draws the long syringe back out, and I see my wing beside me. The veins are nearly gone, and there's a hole where the syringe was. Jack puts the syringe down, and starts fixing up my wing. He uses cotton balls to soak up the blood coming out, and bandages the whole area where the veins were. Then, he sits up from his work and looks at me.

My face is wet from tears and sweat, and my eyes are red and puffy. Worst of all, I have a runny nose. My vision is blurred from the pain, but Jack's face is coming back in sharp detail. I search for blue, find it, and focus on it until everything is clear again. He looks down at me with worry, but I offer a half smile.

"Thanks."

I wipe my eyes and my nose, and attempt to sit up. It hurts to move, though.

"_, maybe you should just chill out for awhile. Let your wing heal."

"But... I have to look after the workshop with you."

"I got it for now."

"Well, we could take watches. Like you first, obviously, and then after... I dunno... 6 hours, I could go."

"_, I don't need to rest."

I stare off into the distance.

"Oh ya."

The pain that's still present is dulling my mind. Jack looks pretty worried at my condition.

"Ya, you're definitely resting."

He stands up, and I rest my head on the pillow. I just want to sleep now. I pull the sheets over me and start to drift off. Jack walks away towards the door, but something makes him come back. My eyes are shut when he leans down and kisses my forehead. And then I sleep.

It is bright and sunny where I am, but cold. I hug myself to keep from shivering as I look out at the rolling fields. Strange. Shouldn't it be warm for grass to be so tall and green? I dismiss this thought when I hear someone shout my name. It's coming from the field, deep in the grass. I run forward, happiness pushing me along, searching for whoever wanted to see me.

I hear my name again, and this time it's urgent sounding.

"I'm coming!"

I hope I don't sound too annoyed. I really just want to find them already. I feel like I've been searching for hours.

"_!"

Now the voice is laced with fear. I power through the grass, sprinting towards the sound.

"I can't find you!"

And then something catches my eye. Something blue and to my right. I run towards it instinctively, grass whipping and scratching at my face. I squint to keep my eyes from getting poked out.

"_!"

"I see you, I'm coming!"

I finally reach the boy in blue. His hair is white. He is on his knees facing away from me, and is holding his head with his hands. It's Jack. I become worried and peer over his shoulder to see what he's looking at. What could be causing him to panic like that?

It's my grave. I stumble away after glancing at the name on the headstone, and remember my grave back at the cabin.

"I'm... Dead?"

Jack doesn't respond, but falls silent. He doesn't call out for me anymore. He kneels there before me, staring ahead at the headstone.

"Jack? Look at me, ok?"

No reaction.

"Jack! I'm not dead! I'm ok! Look at me! I'm right here!"

Is he even breathing? His hoodie doesn't rise and fall like usual. He's stone still. What the heck is going on?

Then, he moves. His head turns slowly to face me, and his eyes are blue to my relief. But what unsettles me is his stare. His eyes aren't focused on mine, but they seem to be focused on something behind me. I whirl around, but nothing is there but grass taller than myself. I turn back to Jack, and speak up.

"What are you looking at?"

He doesn't answer, so I wave my hand in front of his face, trying to provoke a reaction.

"Hello? Jack?"

Nothing changes about his expression, and it starts to scare me.

"Why can't you hear me?"

And then it hits me. He doesn't see me, hear me, notice me in any way.

I'm invisible.

He doesn't believe in me.

I drop to my knees in front of him so that we're level. His eyes have no expression in them as he stares through me. I reach forward cautiously for his face, and feel cold as my hand becomes translucent and passes through his cheek. I draw it back, feeling like a ghost.

"Why... why don't you believe in me anymore? Because I died?"

I don't expect a reaction, and I don't get one. I look away from Jack's blue eyes, and at the ground. When I look up, I scream and fall backwards.

I should've expected it. This is a nightmare after all.

Cruel golden eyes bore into mine from behind black bangs. His skin is gray, and his teeth are visibly sharp. Even his hoodie has changed to a darker color. I start scooting backwards to escape him, and stand quickly. He does the same, and stares at me.

"What are you...?"

He smiles sickly and I see a canine tooth. He saunters forward and I find that my feet won't respond. He comes close enough to where I can feel the cold from his breath.

"Your worst fear."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N : **And here is the chapter you've all been waiting for since day one. :)

Chapter 28

I stand in front of him unable to move, holding his stare. His words sink in, and I realize how true they are. This new Jack, he really is the thing I fear the most. Someone close to me, someone I trust and love, turned evil. He is against me, and I am alone.

"_?"

My eyes widen, and dark Jack's eyes narrow in annoyance. I feel a hand on my shoulder, but keep my eyes ahead on dark Jack. I recognize the cold touch, and know who's come to help me. Dark Jack seems to know also. He speaks out across the small distance between us.

"Guess I'll be seeing you, _."

His smirk fades away as I feel myself being tugged backwards, away from the nightmare.

Light pierces my eyelids and I snap them open, hoping that I'm actually awake. Jack's eyes welcome me back to reality. His cold hand is on my shoulder. He must have been trying to wake me up.

"Hey, how do you feel?"

Stinging starts up in my right wing under the white bandages.

"My wing is on fire..."

I wince and pull it in close to my body. Jack reaches over and gently frosts it, not bothering to remove the bandage.

"Thank you."

He smiles back, but I catch the hint of worry present in his eyes.

"Were you dreaming?"

I clear my throat. It's still a little dry from the nightmare. How'd he know, anyway?

"Yes. Well, kinda."

"Oh. You just seemed... pretty upset."

My curiosity takes over, and so does my worry that I'll be embarrassed.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you talking- yelling really, while you were sleeping, so I came to wake you up. Took awhile though."

His smile fades as I wring my hands. Might as well tell the truth.

"I was actually looking for you in my dream, and I thought something was wrong. And you actually turned out to be uh, you know."

"The dark one?"

"Mhmm."

"Oh. So it was a nightmare, then?"

I nod. That's not a good sign.

"Pitch could be here, Jack. Come on-"

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, feeling much better, and test my balance. I sway, but wave Jack away when he tries to help.

"Hold up, I got this."

I stretch out my wings, especially my right one, and notice that I've somehow have been wearing a white gown, much like the ones sick people wear in hospitals, the entire time.

"What the...? How long have I been wearing this?"

"Um, not sure. I thought you had on a jacket and jeans when you fell asleep."

I hold out the white, soft fabric in my hand.

"Weird. I guess I changed while I was dreaming somehow."

Then, I drop the fabric from my hand and change into the jeans and jacket again. I choose to leave my feet bare, though. The file feels cool under my feet, and I secretly love it. I silently pad away with Jack running to catch up.

"You sure you're ok?"

I keep my eyes ahead and nod.

"Ya, I'm fine. Wing still smarts, but it feels a lot better than what it did."

The workshop seems to be darker, and I catch a glimpse of the enormous clock perched high up on a wall. It's nearly 11 PM. But doesn't the sun... Oh. That's right, it's starting to shift to the period of darkness at the Pole. If Pitch plans on being here, his timing is great. A quick glance at Jack tells me he's thinking the same thing. I decide to implement some sort of plan to keep watch over the entire workshop.

"Hey, we should split up. Maybe watch different parts of the workshop, and alternate or something. He could be here already."

"I know. Which is why we should stay together. Your wing-"

"My wing is fine, Jack. We need to cover more ground. He could already be here, and we wouldn't even know it."

It falls silent between us, and the faint sounds of elves and yetis working below float up through the air. Jack seems to reach a decision.

"Fine. Just... If one of us sees him, we fly back to the Globe and get the other. Activate the Northern Lights, and try to not get killed. Ok?"

"Sounds good."

I smile and jump over the railing, laughing a bit when Jack rushes over to see if I'm plummeting to the Globe below. I snap my wings out and glide back up before dashing away.

"I'm going downstairs, Jack! You take up! Then we'll switch!"

And then I'm gone and rushing down the hallway to the big elevator. I push the red button and wait as the yellow light above tells me which floor the elevator is currently on. Finally, it reaches me, and I step into the warm interior. Once the lowest floor is selected and glowing red, I step back and think. Working my way up is my plan. Guess the stables are the first stop. I feel my stomach drop as the elevator falls, and hear a faint whirring like last time. Everything halts with a small jolt, and the doors pull themselves back. A white sword forms into my warm hands, as I step out and into the musty air. The lights here are dimmed because no one is down here at the moment, except me. Hopefully.

My breathe comes out in small clouds and I'm glad that I have a jacket on. When I see the hay ahead, I form boots over my bare feet, accidentally leaving out the socks. I stop, try again, and feel cotton against my toes. Perfect. The hay gives under my weight, also making me quieter as I make my way past each empty stable. There are plenty of shadows cast inside, shaded the from the dim light of the lanterns hung in the air by chains. The ice formations in the high ceiling are beautiful here. I see the large blue tunnel that North left through, and the giant doors that the reindeer came out of with the yetis. Nothing suspicious here. I back away, sword ready, and then swing around back to the elevator. The doors are closed, so I wait a moment before they open again. I back into it, my eyes watchful for anything moving. Everything remains still. The doors start to close on the peaceful cavern, and I relax once they thud shut. I feel the elevator rise up to the next floor I push. I haven't seen this one before. The doors open wide, and darkness gapes back at me. The room could be endless for all I know, or a drop off of some sort. The elevator offers comfort and light. I am reluctant to step out of it, and brandish my sword. I whirl around as the doors close automatically, shrouding me in darkness. Great.

I unhappily give up my sword for a flashlight, and quickly search for some sort of light switch on the wall. I feel vulnerable without a weapon in my hands. I shine my flashlight over the wooden panels until I see a switch, old fashioned in design. I hurry over and pull it down, listening. There is a faint humming in the wall, and I switch back to my white sword immediately, waiting in the dark for something to happen. In the distance near the ceiling, a spark goes off, and a flame burns in a lantern. Several more follow suit, and gradually each section fills with light. The walls are lined with shelves crowded with books, and the center has many desks and books as well. I walk further into the room, heading for the center. There are two enormous books sitting on ornate, carved wooden stands. I already assume what they may be, and when I read the leather covers, I see in Russian gold letters:

"Непослушный"

"Ницца"

Probably "Naughty" and "Nice". I open the book with the longer name and my eyes widen at the first person listed.

"Jackson Overland Frost"

My eyebrows raise as I mutter to myself.

"True."

This whole room must be for storing the naughty and nice lists from the past. I walk along the shelves, and notice that each leather book has the year on the spine in gold letters. One side houses the "Naughty", the other side "Nice". The books on the stands are probably from this year. I make my way back to them, and find nothing suggesting that Pitch was ever here. I turn, open the elevator, shut down the lights, and go to the next floor.

The doors slide open, and I ready myself, sword held out defensively. I still haven't found any signs of Pitch, and it's making me edgy.

Yetis fill my vision as the floor is revealed to me. This must be where they live. They look puzzled at first, but wave and speak gibberish to me. I salute them with my sword in response, and notice that Phil is walking up to me out of the mass of fur. I rest it at my side and keep the elevator door open.

"Hey, Phil."

He speaks some sort of yeti greeting and I smile back.

"Ya I'm just keeping an eye out for Pitch. So is Jack. And don't worry, he's too busy to freeze any elves... Probably. See ya around. I have to keep looking, just in case."

I let the doors close after Phil waves and walks back to whatever he was doing.

I go up another floor, and find myself on the ground level of the workshop. Elves scurry around, "building" toys. The yetis are concentrated, and occasionally look up to see me walk by. I look around for awhile, and decide that pitch would never show up here. Too much light, too many yetis. So I fly up to the top of the Globe and stand there. The vantage point is great, I can see everything with a quick 360. Now, where's Jack? He should be done.

I take off, minding my sore wing, and shoot upwards to the floor where Jack and I last talked. I land standing on the railing and step down. I trade my sword for my staff. I hear jingling approaching fast, and turn around in time for an elf to hit me in the shins.

"OW! Watch it!"

He looks up apologetically, then jumps up and down urgently.

"Uh? What's up?"

He points excitedly behind him, jumping continuously. The jingling starts to get on my nerves.

"What? Something wrong that way?"

He nods fervently, and reaches up to take my hand before tugging me in the direction he pointed.

This little guy was really starting to worry me. My voice drops to a quiet volume.

"Did you see Pitch?"

He shakes his head no, and continues to pull me along. I pick up to a run and end up carrying him in my arms.

"This way, right? What did you see, then?"

He remains silent. Guess he can't really talk or something. I quicken my pace and finally glide several inches above the ground, the fastest I can go down the hallway. We pass several doors until he snaps his head around, pointing at one in particular.

I turn and approach the door. The staff transforms into my bow, and I feel a new weight on my back. The sheath's white, cool leather feels comforting. I reach up, snag an arrow, string the bow, and motion for the elf to open the door. He steps forward nervously, then reaches up and pulls on the iron ring handle. I nod at him, and with all of his strength he tugs the door open quickly. It creaks, and a straight, dark stairway waits in front of me. At the top, faint light drifts down the steps until it becomes nothing. I take a step forward, and the elf closes the door behind me. I pull the bow tighter and walk silently up the steps, staying close to the wall to avoid creaking. I peek my head into the light, and do a quick sweep of the space. It looks like an attic. There are wooden, not cardboard, boxes up here, and one window letting in darkness from outside. It's chilly up here, away from the trapped heat of the fireplaces and lanterns of the rest of the workshop. I nearly see puffs of breath from myself, but not quite.

There's definitely something up here, though. That elf sure thought so. I recall that the door will open out for me, just in case. Maybe he saw Jack up here? I should've asked while I had the chance.

It seems ok to stand up and enter the attic fully, so I do. The light is comforting, and I stand directly under the glowing lantern that gives it off. I suddenly wish that it was electric so that it couldn't go out from a draft. Oh well. I'll just do a quick search, then find Jack once I'm done here.

Because of the single light source, there are plenty of dark spots and shadows. Thankfully, the shadows are stone still. I stay inside the circle of light surrounding me, scanning for anything that might have scared the elf. And then I get the feeling that something about this attic isn't correct. I can't put my finger on it, but as I turn in circles, something is definitely not normal. I keep looking at everything until I rest my gaze on a shadow, completely confused and frustrated. What's wrong with this attic? The shadow stays still, and I stare it down, my mind racing.

Nothing's really wrong with the floor.

Nothing's wrong with the walls.

The windows are normal, too.

The lantern is a normal lantern.

So is the candle.

And the flame.

The flame. Not bulb, flame.

My eyes widen in realization.

The flame is dancing, but the shadows aren't.

My breathing become shallow and I feel my heart flutter with adrenaline.

Shadows don't do that.

I react instantly to the thought and propel myself forward for the stairway leading downwards. I'll be safe in just a min-

SMACK!

My head jerks painfully to the right, and my neck twists with it. I can feel the muscles strain and my mouth opens in pain. The attic swings in my vision as a dark blur. My cheek, right under my left eye stings and burns. Somehow, I'm holding a sword again, and I turn angrily to face whoever threw the punch. My vision is blurred on the left, but my right eye shows me a clear view of the idiot standing before me, cracking his gray knuckles, and chuckling to himself.

"Told you I'd see you again."

His golden eyes look at me with contempt, but switch to something similar to the look a snake gives its prey. He wants to hurt me. Badly. And something about his posture tells me he can't wait any longer.

And he doesn't.

Lightning quick, he reaches out his arm and lashes out at my face. I try to duck, but he still manages to clip my temple.

"ARGH!"

I slash my sword at his torso and feel it cut through the dense sand. His black hoodie shows a long tear across the middle. He glances down as sand spills out onto the wood floor. His shining eyes narrow.

"You're going to die for that."

I step back and relax my posture, resting the heavy sword on my shoulder and admiring the shine of the metal, a risk I'm willing to take.

"Really? So you weren't trying to kill me before?"

He launches his leg at me but I side step the kick, expecting his anger. I grab onto his ankle and yank him forward and into the hilt of my sword. I let go, watch him stumble a bit, and kick him back into a wall, one hand still holding my sword. His eyes squeeze shut in pain but instantly open again in rage. When he charges towards me, I panic a bit and use my wings to help me jump up over him. As I pass over his dark form, he reacts by reaching up and taking hold of some of the feathers on my left wing. I'm yanked back the way I came and down onto the hard wood floorboards. My back connects first and takes most of the impact. The sword clatters away to the side. Gasping for air, I find none and gape like a fish before catching a glimpse of him. I quickly get back on my feet, wince slightly, and rush him with a new sword held out horizontally. He slams into a wall, and I hold him there with the sword against his gray throat. I'm only inches away from his golden glare, and can feel the anger rising inside myself.

"Tell me where Pitch is! Now! Answer me!"

He doesn't grimace at my voice, but smiles.

"You've changed, _."

I put pressure on the sword, and narrow my eyes dangerously.

"What do you mean?"

His eyes light up even more. It makes me uneasy. He looks so much like Jack.

"This. Look at you. You're... like me."

I shove the sword up and under his chin, tilting his head back and making him grit his teeth.

"Guess that sucks for you, doesn't it?"

I can feel blood rushing through my head, and hear everything in the room.

Especially the distinct noise of a blade unsheathing.

It arcs upwards for my torso in seemingly slow motion. I bring one of my hands down towards his, grasp it, and twist. His wrist cracks and he gasps out in pain. Without really thinking it, I bring the knife up to his face, his hand controlled by mine, and I press it to his gray skin in addition to my sword.

"Tell you what. I'll let you in on a secret."

He squints at me through his messy black bangs. I ignore everything telling me to let him go because he's Jack. I assure myself that he isn't.

"You know how I died?"

I pause, look into his eyes again, then continue.

"Pitch. He stabbed me, right where you were going to. In the same way. With the same weapon."

Silence.

"The only difference between now and then, was that I didn't fight back."

His eyes hold mine as we stare at each other.

"I don't make the same mistake twice."

I press his knife closer to his skin, and see sand seep out. He maintains eye contact with me as be speaks.

"Then don't make the mistake of letting me live."

I'm considering killing him right there, because he has a point. I'm enraged and blinded by adrenaline when I hear the door burst open behind me. I refuse to take my eyes off of him though. Cold frost makes its way across the floor and climbs up my boot before stopping.

"_! Don't kill him!"

My eyebrows draw together in confusion and anger. Black sand continues to trickle down his gray skin. My eyes don't leave the gold staring back.

"Give me one good reason, Jack."

I hear his soft footsteps approach me, and feel the cold air that always surrounds him. And there is his heartbeat, wild and worried as ever.

He carefully reaches out and touches my shoulder, and I flinch away from his touch, drawing out more black sand as I move.

"_, if you kill him, Pitch wins."

I stare into the gold in front of my face, wanting to end him right here.

"He wants you to kill him, doesn't he?"

I don't respond, my mind is sifting through this new information. It makes sense now. Dark Jack waits expectantly, a smile glued on his face.

"You want me to kill you, so that I drop to your level. You want me to change."

I narrow my own eyes, and bore into his with realization. His smile disappears.

"You can't change me. Not with your mind tricks, not with your fear."

I bring him forward, and turn him quickly so that I have him in a headlock, which is hard to do since he's taller, Jack's height exactly. I keep the sword against his throat, and put the pointed end of the knife against his back, urging him forward to Jack. I hand him off to him, and he puts his powerful, glowing blue staff against dark Jack's head.

"Any sudden movements, you're an icicle."

Dark Jack remains expressionless and speechless as we lead him away from the dimly lit attic, and out into the hallway. He holds his stomach where sand seeps out of the tear that I cut into his hoodie, leaving a small trail of black sand as we walk. We reach the Globe without any problems from our prisoner, and make it down the steps to the area with the fireplace and semicircle of chairs. I hurry over to the control panel and turn the Northern Lights on. North will know what to do with dark Jack.

Seconds after the Northern Lights are activated, the lights everywhere in the workshop flicker. I glance over to Jack who stands guard over his evil twin, and we share a look of concern. Then, as I begin to step over to him, everything goes dark as the lights blink out. The only light comes from the fireplace, burning across the room. Both Jacks are in front of it. Neither has the staff. I see the dark silhouettes of both boys fighting against each other, and can barely tell who is who. I run closer and bring my bow and arrow level with the darker one, but they move too quickly and I can't risk hitting Jack.

One seems to be getting the advantage. He uppercuts the other, and kicks him down to the floor with his foot.

I don't get the chance to see what happens next, though.

Pitch rises out of the darkness in front of me, blocking my view with a flourish of nightmare sand. I see his glinting eyes in the darkness, and his face made completely black by the fire's light behind his tall figure.

I aim my arrow at his heart, but hesitate. If he dodges, it will sail through and possibly hit Jack. I can hear him still fighting behind Pitch.

"Look at you. Brought back by the Man in the Moon. Made into an Angel. How fitting. You're set to be a Guardian. You even have Jack Frost wrapped around your finger."

He leans forward, unafraid of my arrow.

"Too bad, really. You have such a long life ahead of you, and I'm about to end it. Again."

I stand tall in front of him.

"Bet you never thought you'd have that opportunity again, did ya?"

"Stupid girl-"

He swings a black sand sword out from his side and towards me. I immediately switch to a sword of my own in time to block his hit. I shift his sword away, and rush up to him, slashing at his robe. I miss each time as he dissolves into the darkness. He reappears behind me, but I catch a quick glance at the Jacks by the fireplace. They're still fighting relentlessly. One holds his stomach. The other limps a bit. I turn to Pitch, and surprise him with a bow and arrow. He realizes his mistake too soon, though, and I let the arrow fly. It's too fast for him to dodge, and I watch as it digs into his robe, right where his heart should be. He gasps in surprise, and melts into the darkness after sand falls out and to the floor in a small pile. I step back and load another arrow, but he seems to have disappeared. For now.

My attention directs back to the fight by the fireplace. I run over, arrow still ready, and watch as one Jack is strangling the other on the floor. The real Jack's staff is lying on the ground several feet away. And then I'm close enough to see who's winning.

I rush forward and tackle dark Jack to the floor, rolling close to the fireplace. I feel his knife knick my arm, but continue struggling with him until we come to a stop. Despite my fighting, he rolls over me with the knife to my throat. He digs his knee into my injured wing, and twists it. I cry out in pain. My head twists sideways and I see Jack lying nearly unconscious, gasping and coughing for air.

We make eye contact briefly, but dark Jack turns my face back to himself.

"What'd you do to Pitch?! Where is he?!"

I grin despite my searing wing.

"I shot him in the heart. He's gone."

I feel the burning blade press down into my skin, and grit my teeth. My hands are gripping at his wrists, trying to push the blade away, but he's too strong.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you."

I try to kick him, but he pins my legs with his own.

I feel the blade actually cut into my skin, and the small stream of blood that trails down my neck onto the floor. His glare is matched with my own, staring back defiantly.

A loud shout roars though the air, startling both dark Jack and myself.

"GET OFF OF HER!"

I watch stunned as Jack, staff in hand, sails through the air and tackles dark Jack. They roll away, dark Jack kicking and punching, but Jack blocks every hit with his staff. He forces the knife away and I hear it clatter somewhere on the floor. I watch, entranced by the sight.

Jack sits atop his dark twin, his face twisted in rage. He lowers the crook of his staff to dark Jack's face. I watch as beautiful golden eyes widen in fear.

My voice is weak, but still audible.

"Jack... Wait..."

He glances at me, his eyes catching mine and taking in my battered face, my bruising neck, my struggling breaths, then slowly turns back to the dark version of himself.

His voice is hoarse as he addresses the black haired boy.

"You were going to cut her throat."

And then, Jack freezes him without hesitation.

I lay on the ground in shock as blue light erupts from his staff, rivaling the brilliance of the firelight.

Air so cold it bites at my warm skin pushes against me as ice trickles out wards, crawling away from both Jacks. Then, the air stops rushing fiercely, and calms. My hair lays down again, and my wings and fingertips feel numb. I feel my neck where the knife cut into my skin, and find the blood frozen, stuck as it was when it dripped out. My eyes sting, and my lips are ice cold to the touch. My breath comes out in clouds. I break the stem of red from my sore neck, and hold it in my hand. It starts to melt, and I put it down on the iced over floor beside me. My entire body shivers uncontrollably on the icy floor, even with my jacket and boots.

The fireplace is once again the only light source.

I see the dark silhouette of Jack standing up and making his way over to me. My elbows slip on the ice when I try to push myself up, though. He hurries over and kneels beside me.

"Did he cut you?"

My voice is torn and hoarse because of the cold radiating from Jack's body.

"Ya, but I'm fine."

He puts one hand on my shoulder and pushes my up so that I can stand on the slippery ground. At first, I gasp at his touch. It feels like someone dropped ice cubes down my back. I stare blankly at where dark Jack was moments ago.

There's nothing now.

"You... You actually killed him."

Jack looks down at the floor, blue eyes solemn.

"I'm sorry, I tried to control it. It was just that..."

He looks conflicted.

"...the knife, and your eyes..."

He hesitates but looks up at me, eyes sad, face strong.

"You mean too much to me."

My mouth opens slightly in surprise. For a moment, I just stare at him as he stands in front of the fire. Everything on me is numb and cold. He even gives off coldness from where he stands. Him killing his evil twin took a lot of power.

"I... I do?"

A small smile finds its way to my face. My lips pull, and it hurts from the cold, but I'm still happy despite my injuries.

Jack stands before me, rubbing his arm, nervously inspecting his staff. In one word: embarrassed. He keeps his eyes away from mine the entire time.

"Yes."

I take a step closer, my body protesting any movement, my ribs aching from the pain inside. I try my best to focus on Jack.

Some red catches my eye. It leaks out of his lip, and down his chin. He looks up, notices my concerned eyes, then wipes it away with his sleeve. Then he sees my face in the firelight. I must look terrible.

"_... You're bruising everywhere."

It's true. I can feel the soreness on my cheek where I was first punched. And just about everywhere else.

"Hold on."

He reaches his free hand out for my face, and lightly touches the bruise below my eye. The coldness relieves the soreness and makes it fade away to numbness. It feels so much better, and Jack touches each bruise forming on my face, making me shiver. His eyes look apologetic.

"Sorry, I can only keep you cold I guess."

I blurt out a sentence.

"I'm fine with that."

He smiles down at my battered, freezing face.

"You're the only person that's ever said that to me."

I give out a small laugh into the cold air, accidentally puffing warmth onto his face. My cheeks turn red.

"Well, I've never felt THIS cold because of another person."

"This cold, huh?"

Another laugh escapes me.

"It's probably a record or something."

He looks at me mischievously.

"Maybe I can break that record."

I can feel my eyebrows raise at his suggestion as he looks down at me. His blue eyes are gazing into mine, and my heart panics. He must hear it, and his mouth turns up into a crooked smirk. It only makes me more nervous about where this is going.

A voice at the back of my mind speaks up.

Quit doubting yourself.

I feel free in that moment, like nothing is holding me back. If someone loves you and you love them back, be together. That's about as simple as it gets. And that's exactly what's happening right now.

So I don't run away when Jack leans down to my face.

Why not let this happen?

He closes the space between us and I feel the cold burst onto my face, starting with my lips. And I thought mine were cold. But this isn't the bad sort of cold, the kind I'm so familiar with that stings and bites. This is better. It's completely numbing at first, like kissing a smooth river stone, but then I can feel something there. Jack is definitely cold, but this is easier to tolerate than I imagined. I was half expecting the experience to be like kissing an ice cube. I was completely wrong. After a couple of seconds, I put my hand on his hoodie, and can feel his heartbeat. It's comforting, and I feel one of his cool hands in my hair. He's finally starting to loose some of the cold energy from using his staff. He feels warmer almost. Or at least, less cold.

When we pull away from each other, I notice the tips of his ears are bright red, and so are his cheeks, despite the purple bruises. My face is newly flushed with warmth, and I can feel the bruises and their soreness come back to life. We look at each other for a moment, then smile. I shiver suddenly, and Jack laughs.

"Did I break the record?"

I stare up at him, a small grin showing fast.

"I dunno. Maybe."

I stand up on my tip toes and surprise him with a sweet kiss on the nose. His ears glow red once again, and I find myself enjoying my ability to embarrass him. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand sheepishly, then offers it out to me.

If I take it... What does that mean?

He sees my eyes and my expression, and can tell that I'm thinking it over. He's about to draw it back to his hoodie pocket, but I reach out and grasp it. I see his small smile, not a smirk this time, and he walks with me over to the fireplace. I stand in the burning light, watching a particular flame rise and fall and sway in time with its neighbors. My eyes start to dry out from the intense heat though, so I turn away from the flames and look at Jack.

He stares into the fire like I do, observing the flames.

I let myself smile. I've never been particularly good at showing affection, but it comes easily with Jack.

His hand still holds mine, and I decide that I like the feeling of the cold coming from him. It's calming.

After several minutes of warming by the fire, for my sake, not Jack's, we go over to the control panel to check on the Northern Lights. The Guardians still haven't shown up. As we near it, I see why, and hurry over to the activator.

"Jack, I swear I turned this thing on."

"I know, I saw you."

"How'd it get..."

We stare in realization into each other's wide eyes.

Right on cue, the fireplace is doused out in a swarm of sparkling sand, and the entire space becomes dark.

Pitch's laughter rings out through the workshop.

I back up to Jack and feel him grab my arm, tugging me away from the control panel. We stay silent as we move, not giving ourselves away. I feel his skin grow colder by the second as the time wears on. He needs to stay calm, though, so I place my warm hand on his shoulder to let him know I'm ok. In my other hand, I feel the cool metal of my sword. My heartbeat is picking up, and so is Jack's.

This is definitely not good. We have to find light to fight in. Then, I think of an idea. I get Jack's attention and point with my sword in the direction of the Globe. He nods once, and we give up on remaining quiet and sprint for the center of the workshop.

The light coming off of the Globe is faint, but much better than nothing. The glow from all of the lights pushes the darkness back a bit, providing a golden barrier between certain death. At least here we have a chance.

The sound of rushing sand echoes into my ears from somewhere distant in the dark workshop. I back closer to Jack, bump into him, and stare out into the blackness with wide eyes. Jack steps around me, turns to face me and speaks in a low voice.

"_, listen to me. You can't be afraid. Not now, ok? Especially not now."

I nod.

"Ok."

The sand rustles again, closer this time, but I keep my heartbeat normal.

It's only Pitch.

You shot him, he's injured.

You have the advantage.

Jack stands in front of me again, looking back over his shoulder at me, watching my reactions. My sword swings at my side nervously, and I form a white shield when the sand scratches even closer.

I exhale deeply, and hold my breath.

But without warning, the sand has gone quiet. Nothing moves. I hear my heartbeat and Jack's. Nothing else, though.

Jack glances over at me with confusion in his eyes after several moments of silence. Could Pitch have left? I did injure him, after all.

I lock my eyes back on the dark space before me, still trying to keep my heart beat under control. It's becoming increasingly difficult as the silence wears on without any movement.

Pitch doesn't give up that easily.

Jack has turned away from the darkness once again, and walks over In my direction. He should really concentrate on watching out for Pitch, though, not worrying over me. As he comes closer, something sparkles behind him.

I yell out a warning, but it isn't quick enough.

Tendrils of black swirling sand come out of the darkness and tangle around Jack in a flurry. I'm shocked by the sheer speed of the attack. As I leap forward to grab Jack's hand, he is yanked harshly back into the darkened workshop. He doesn't even make a sound. The sand must have covered his mouth.

His bright blue eyes disappear from sight, and Pitch's cruel laugh fills my ears as my heart drops.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N :** Just a little warning, someone gets stitches in this chapter. And I make a second pairing. I promise not to get too far into it though, unless you guys want to hear more about it. If not, that's cool too. Lemme know!

Chapter 29

"JAAAACK!"

I continue to sail through the air, unable to stop myself. I leave the safety of the light and dive into the blackness, immediately ready to fight. I stay in a crouch, looking for anything, Pitch or Jack, either one will do. There is no movement though.

My eyes swing around, squinting and widening, doing anything to see something. To my joy, then hate, I see one of the things I'm looking for.

Gold.

I lurch straight into the air, sailing straight for the gold with a sword held high above my head. At first, anger blinds me, but as I begin to descend, my vision becomes filled with overwhelming blue and white. The sword disappears as it nears Jack's face. I exhale sharply, standing in front of Pitch and Jack, empty handed at the moment.

His blue eyes stare down at mine in terror. I almost cut his head off. Pitch's eyes are amused and filled with hope, as if I'll happen to accidentally swing out and kill Jack for him. They cut down at me, and his mouth twists up into a smile as his eyebrows draw together.

"Why must you make things so complicated for me?"

Jack stands helpless, his feet flat against the ground. His neck looks strained, and he stands straight and tense. I vaguely wonder, where is his staff? Sand is twisted messily around his torso, binding his arms and holding them crossed against his chest. It reminds me of the way the dead appear in their coffins at funerals.

"Let him go. Now."

My bow and arrow raise seamlessly, even though I don't consciously make the decision to form them. I can see something flash in the gold of Pitch's eyes.

"No."

He says it much like a child would, a spoiled child that doesn't want to give up something very, very valuable. I meet Jack's eyes for an instant, searching for the blue that would calm my temper. I find them, and they are still wide with... Realization? What could be donning on him?

I need to keep the pressure on Pitch, though, so I pull my arrow back tighter. His heart is in my sights. I squint at his robe and see the spot where the first arrow plunged in. It's a hole, and the sand that makes him up seeps out as if he were an hourglass keeping time. I find the irony though, I don't have much time to barter for Jack.

Pitch shatters the silence with his even voice.

"Do you honestly believe that I'll give this Guardian up for nothing?"

My jaw sets and I feel my teeth creak and grind against each other.

"Yes, Pitch. I think you will. Because if you don't, I'll kill you, right here. And besides that, you've underestimated me."

He looks like he's about to laugh off my threat, but my last sentence sinks into his mind. I keep my face straight, void of emotion. I must look threatening now, because for a split second, I see a sliver, a minuscule hint of interest.

His eyes don't narrow, and his brow doesn't furrow, but I can feel the confusion radiating off of him. He's going through everything he knows about me, and what exactly he's managed to miss. He must come up empty.

"How could I have possibly underestimated you?"

His smile takes its place again, a mask to his curiosity.

"You think you called off the other Guardians."

His mouth opens a fraction at my statement, especially my word choice.

"Really."

I put on my best defiant smile.

"Yes, really."

His eyes remain completely relaxed.

"You're lying."

"I thought you were clever, Pitch. Why would I lie to you? Especially when you have Jack?"

His mouth forms a tense line, and his eyes look dead.

"You're stalling."

"For who? The Guardians? If you believe they're not coming, I don't see where your logic is going with this idea."

He looks a bit surprised, but regains his composure immediately.

I focus all of my willpower on not making eye contact with Jack. I need Pitch's attention. Surely he's almost done it...

I decide to take a risk.

My bow disappears, and my hands become free. I reach into my pocket, my eyes staring back into Pitch's. I form what I need away from his vision, then pull it out.

He stares at my hand without a word.

I provide an explanation, though I can guess from his eyes that he already knows what it is that I'm holding.

"North gave me a second way to call the Guardians."

Finally, I see real emotion in Pitch's eyes as he glares down at me.

Without hesitation,I press my thumb down on the device that resembles a bomb detonator from a spy movie, and a white light blinks in response. And now, I wait for what I know will happen next. It seems to unfold in slow motion.

Pitch sees the light, realizes its indication, and turns his head, unable to control himself, his basic instinct to confirm if I'm lying or not. His eyes search for the panels of glass that offer a view of the outside tundra and dark sky. As soon as his attention is drawn I direct my eyes to Jack, wrapped up in the darkness.

I can see that his face is set in determination. He's been working on freezing the sand around his wrists this whole time, just like I hoped. And then, bright light sparks out from him, and the sand holding him captive freezes the rest of the way.

In the next instant, Pitch realizes that there aren't any Northern Lights activated, and that I was indeed lying.

The ice explodes away from Jack, and he pushes his arms off of his chest where they were held. He shoots upwards out of the grip of Pitch's sand.

All of this, starting with my false trigger activating, occurs in seconds.

Pitch's face twists in rage when he turns back to Jack and I in realization.

I smile back, arrow poised and ready to sail forward.

And then, I let it.

It travels forward for his heart, but he dodges and the arrow ends up embedding itself in his ribs. I quickly fire another, but Jack beats me to it by punching Pitch in the jaw. I'm surprised that he's managed to get that close. He's having some trouble flying though, and I realize he needs his staff for his full power. I tear my eyes away from their fighting, and search the floor for the staff. My eyes land on it.

It's right at the edge of the light of the Globe where Jack was pulled back. He must've dropped it there, and I launch myself with my wings to reach it in time. My hands wrap around the soft wood, and I pull it to my chest as I turn around in a swirl of feathers.

Jack is quickly getting himself backed up against the dark, glass window panels. My wings pump and my feet leave the ground as I head straight for Pitch. He stands tall and menacing and his back is facing me. I bring the staff down in an arc on his head, bashing it into his dark hair and feeling the staff reverberate in my hands. Then, as Pitch cringes and brings his hands up to his head, I throw the staff to Jack like a harpoon over Pitch's shoulder. Jack's hand reaches up and catches the staff before swinging it towards Pitch, the crook glowing dangerously.

I quickly move to stand by Jack, brandishing my bow towards Pitch. His golden eyes are wide with anger.

Then, something changes in them. He's forming a plan in his mind.

I release an arrow into his stomach, and he hunches over in pain, but manages to start moving closer to Jack and I. I step back and get up against the freezing glass and Jack follows suit. Pitch finally straightens up after wrenching my barbed arrow from his torso. Now, he stands, holding his stomach, smiling down at us. He is only 10 feet away.

He looks like he's lost his sanity, and I subtly switch my bow for a sword.

"I'm not about to let you two take me down. No, no, not you two... you two children!"

Jack narrows his eyes and his staff shines brightly in the darkness around us.

And then, Pitch charges at us with himself and a wall of sparkly black sand.

Everything is dark for a moment, and the painful brushing of sand rips at our skin. I can only hear Jack yell out at the onslaught, and I refuse to slash my sword about blindly. Sand starts to go into my ears, so I clamp my hands over them to keep my sanity.

"Jack?! Where are you?! Jack help me, please!"

I hear his muffled voice to my left, and see blue light. Then, I'm blinded.

My vision is white, and I stumble backwards several steps, feeling smooth glass against my wings. It's freezing. I feel my mouth open to yell, but my throat is dry to my surprise. It scares me. What's happened? Even the air hurts to touch. It's biting at my clothes and skin, and I squeeze my eyes shut at the ringing in my ears. I'm vulnerable.

The whiteness starts to fade, and my vision gets spotty. Then, I can see faintly after blinking several times. The ringing refuses to go away, and my throat burns from the cold.

Jack did something.

It's completely dark, but I can see the frozen sand all around me. The formations are spiked and severe looking. They're translucent, and the black sand sparkles under the ice encasing it. Where are Jack and Pitch, though? I spin around quickly, thinking I've heard something, but the ringing persists, mocking me.

And there is the glass, shattered and gaping to the silent, black world outside.

My heart rate climbs as my eyes take in the red framing the edges of the glass opening. A single drop seems to explode onto the wooden floor at my feet. I can feel my eyes widen painfully in the frigid air, and my feet leave the ground as I plummet out of the window head first.

My heart physically hurts at the stress straining it. The wind pushes at my face, and my eyes dry quickly. Below, there is snow spreading out to the arctic circle. I have to find Jack. Pitch is strictly second. The ground approaches swiftly, and my wings unfurl without a sound thanks to my hearing. In my mind's sense, I imagine the muffled snap they make as the wind catches them, but in reality, there is only ringing.

My eyes squint down at the dark landscape under me. Where would he have landed? Right beneath the window, if he couldn't summon the wind without his staff. Did he even have it when he fell? I silently hope so, clenching my freezing fingers into fists at my sides.

I decide to not call for him. Pitch could find me, and I would be on my own then. I double back and glide even closer to the snow. In the distance, I finally see something. My wings pump furiously as I'm propelled forward.

Jack is on his back. His eyes are closed, relaxed, not squeezed shut. He must be unconscious. If he felt pain, his eyes and face would be stressed. This is good and bad. He might be ok, but I'm on my own at the moment.

And the blood on the shards hundreds of feet up doesn't belong to Pitch.

Scratch the idea that Jack's fine.

I kneel down beside him, not bothering to try and change my jeans into snow pants. I don't see any blood anywhere. Maybe... It's on his back. He had to have fallen backwards. Pitch could've pushed him.

My hands tug at the fabric of his hoodie on the furthest arm. He lifts out of the snow a bit, but not enough to where I can see anything. He didn't react either. I let him back down for a moment.

I tug harder and manage to get him higher off the ground, and hold him there so that I can lean over his shoulder. The ringing in my ears intensifies.

The snow looks odd. It has a deep indention,as if someone stabbed it with a stick and pulled it back out.

Oh, no.

Something had to have done that.

My fingers gingerly brush over Jack's back, and I feel them stop when they bump into something sharp. My hand draws back immediately, but I force it back to the spot, leaning over to see for myself. I can't though, so I gently roll Jack onto his stomach in the snow.

My breathing stops, and my mouth grows cold and dry. That's... That's not good.

My fingers close around the glass shard, stained dull red in the dark. Jack's blood is dripping back down the shard onto his back now that he's on his stomach. Should I take it out?

It's acting as a cork to the wound, though.

But it looks terrible, just sticking in him!

I'm suddenly thankful that he can't feel anything.

Too bad there's no wood to knock on out here. The staff has yet to make an appearance.

He makes a mumbled noise in the snow where his face is partly buried.

My hearing must have come back, and I notice that the ringing has left. Silver lining.

"Ok..."

I take a deep breath and haul Jack up from the snow. I manage to sit him with my arm at his back and shoulders, keeping him up. I can't let him fall, it'll only lodge the glass deeper. Then, his eyes become stressed as he squeezes them shut. Seconds pass, and he opens them in shock. He jolts forward and I use my other arm to stop him from landing face first in the snow. His teeth are set and his eyes are full of pain.

"ARGGH! Wh-WHAT THE?"

"Jack?! Listen to me, ok?! You've got a piece of glass in your back. Don't move. Please don't move."

He locks his wide eyes on mine and I see how much it must hurt.

"Ok, just... Hold on... I have to get you back in the workshop before taking it out."

He nods tersely and I help him stand in the snow.

"M-my staff..."

"I haven't seen it yet. Hold on as best as you can, I got you."

He wraps his arms around me, and I do the same to him, minding the glass. I pump my wings once to clear the snow, then several times in succession to rise straight up. I flashback to my flying lessons with Tooth at her palace. It dawns on me that I've never really used this type of flying until now. I'm grateful that she taught me.

My arms tighten around Jack as we near the window. The hole is risky to get back through because of its size. I kick at the surrounding cracked glass and widen the entrance a bit more before going through. I can feel Jack shaking against me, and activate the Northern Lights on the way to the medical center. The lights are still out in the workshop, but I swallow my fear and glide through the hallways until seeing the red cross up ahead.

Inside, there are a few emergency lights on powered by batteries. I set Jack on his side across the nearest bed. There is more blood when I look at the injury. I hop in place frantically thinking for a moment before dashing off towards the cabinets nearby. The painkillers are injectable, and I grab a scalpel, gauze, cotton balls, and hydrogen peroxide. I set everything down in a clatter on the metal tray beside Jack's bleeding back. The painkiller is easy to inject, and he grimaces as the cold liquid takes over. I have no idea if it'll make him unconscious though.

I form a pair of white scissors in my hand, and cut a circle of fabric away from Jack's hoodie around the shard. The fabric sticks to his bloodied skin, but comes away without much of a fight. His skin is even paler when contrasted with dark red. I blink hard, then open my eyes and get to work on taking out the shard.

I pour peroxide over the scalpel to clean it, then tell Jack that I'm about to cut near the glass. I get no response, and see that the pain meds have knocked him out. Good.

The scalpel slices cleanly into his skin, and I'm able to loosen the shard's grip in his back. I gently wiggle it back and forth, careful to not crack a piece off. It would be difficult to retrieve. I suddenly wish that I knew what I was doing, or that I was a surgeon, but bring my attention back to the shard. It's finally ready to come out. I grip it with one hand, and steady the other on Jack's back. Then, I slowly, painstakingly pull. I hear something when I do, something I ignore to stomach what I'm doing. It sounds gross. I toss the shard onto the tray beside me, and grab the cotton balls. I grimace as I push them onto the wound, watching them transform crimson. Finally, the blood seems to have stopped, the shard must have missed the major things. I refuse to smile though, because Jack will need stitches.

Oh gosh. Sewing.

I rush back to the cabinet and grab a suture needle. It's curved and thin compared to my mother's sewing needles back in my room at the cabin. I decide on thread opposed to wire, and bring back the supplies to Jack.

I hope the injection lasts a long, long time.

The needle is easy enough to thread, and I ease my hand closer to the puncture. I'm about to press the steel tip into Jack's cold skin when someone rushes inside the infirmary.

"Little one! Are you ok?! Oh my! Jack?! What's happened?! Explain!"

Bunny, Tooth and a smaller fairy I've never seen follow right behind North in their questions and exclamations.

I gulp, and bring my hand away from Jack's wounded back, relieved that I can give this job to someone more capable.

"North... I need you to listen. I'll explain to everyone, but Jack needs to be sewn up. Right now."

North steps forward, and I place the needle in his hand as he sits down in my place. He immediately begins the sewing, and I turn away from the sight. It looks terrible.

"Ok. So... Pitch came here after all."

Tooth gasps at the news as her bright eyes widen. Bunny grits his teeth and narrows his green eyes. North simply raises his eyebrows as he stares down in concentration on his sewing. The tiny fairy quickly flits over to Jack, squeaking and fluttering about.

"Are ya a'right sheila? Or do I need to go tear Pitch limb from limb?"

I give a weak smile at Bunny's remark, then look over my shoulder at Jack.

"I'm fine. I just- I want to know what happened. I couldn't see, couldn't hear, when that light went off. I mean, it was definitely Jack, but what exactly did he do?"

"Well sweety, he must've hurt Pitch pretty badly if he's still gone. What did you see after the light faded?"

I turn to Tooth, noticing her concerned expression.

"There was nightmare sand, but it was frozen in long spikes. Jack must've let out a lot of his power when he did whatever the light thing was."

"Tell us more, little one."

The three Guardians and the fairy, named Baby Tooth, listen to my account of what happened, starting with Jack and I searching the workshop, and my discovery of dark Jack, all the way to Pitch's entrance and finding Jack in the snow. I'm careful to leave our kiss out, though. Maybe later, when I can figure out what exactly is going on between Jack and I.

After I finish explaining what's happened, North stands from his work, washes his hands, and tucks a sheet over Jack's sleeping form. His white hair doesn't seem as stark when he's surrounded by everything else white.

"So you found my library of Naughty and Nice."

North smiles at me through his long beard, his eyes crinkled at the edges.

I let out a small laugh.

"Oh, I've gotta admit, it was pretty impressive."

"I thought you might like it."

I walk over to the sink and wash my hands off, noticing the dried blood for the first time since the Guardians arrived. The water swirls the red into lighter shades until it runs clear down the drain. North ushers us out of the room.

"Let him rest. He needs it. Baby Tooth, you can stay with him, if you like."

The doors are closed as quietly as possible, with a muffled thump and click, and then we leave the hallway and head towards the Globe. The entire workshop is still in the dark, so North heads off on his own to the power room.

"I'm going to get lights on now."

A couple of yetis appear from the upper floors and make their way down to follow North. I'm confused as to why they didn't help Jack and I, but realize it was probably for the best. At least they didn't get hurt, and maybe they had procedures to follow when the power goes out. That would explain a lot.

Tooth, Bunny and I look up at the Globe. I'm sure Tooth and Bunny see it as a symbol of happiness or hope, that all of those kids believe in them. I see it as something that held off Pitch for precious moments. His eyes flash by in my mind, so I focus my attention on a single light somewhere in Australia. Then to the entire continent of Asia, roving over to Africa and its huge expanse,then north to Europe and all of its peninsulas. I cross the Atlantic and find North America, and move down to South America, taking in everything. There was even a light in Antarctica. Poor kid.

I owe every single one of those kids my life. And so does Jack. Their lights kept us safe. Even if it was only for a couple of moments. And they'll probably never even know it. But that's ok. I'm going to make sure they're safe. They did the same for me, and its my job now.

I smile at the warm light given off by the Globe, and realize that soon, the workshop will be fully lit again and I won't get to appreciate the glow the same way. It makes me a little sad, but I put those feelings aside and look forward to seeing Jack wake up soon.

All too soon, the lights flicker back to life, and the golden glow of the Globe is diminished. North makes his way back to us, and we all go over to the fireplace that's covered in nightmare sand. That would have to be taken care of. North motions for some yetis to come and sweep the sand into red bags, and they toss it through a portal that deposits them far away from the workshop. The yetis also set to work on thawing the frozen sand and replacing the glass window. I watch as they carefully remove the rest of the pane, and the shards of red tinted glass.

Then, right beside me, Sandy floats by on a golden cloud, waving. My eyes widen and a shocked smile plays across my face.

"What the-? Sandy?"

Bunny hops up to us.

"Where ya been, mate?"

Bunny watches as Sandy explains how he encountered Pitch outside of the workshop on the way here.

"Ah, ya rough 'em up, did ya?"

Sandy nods enthusiastically and forms an image of sand whips above his head. Bunny laughs at that.

"I wish I coulda seen that myself."

I speak up excitedly.

"So, you beat him? He's gone?"

Sandy nods and shows me an arrow over his head. And icicles.

"He still had that arrow in him? And, he had icicles?"

He nods yes, then shows a Popsicle.

"A Popsicle... Was he... Frozen?"

Bunny watches on as Sandy tries to explain.

"Only partly, sheila. Looks like Jack did a little number on him, and you were probably caught in the middle of it. That's why you couldn't see. The light must'a been blindin'."

I smile at Sandy and give him a hug.

"Thank you so much for beating him."

When I step back, Sandy tips a top hat in my direction, and does a little bow. Bunny starts talking to Sandy, explaining everything that's been going on, and I'm happy to let him do it instead of myself. I move away from them, and see North join in on their conversation, his blue eyes wide and enthusiastic.

I walk back towards the center of the workshop, and stare up into the rafters, unaware of my company.

Tooth notices my gaze, and pulls me back to reality.

"Hey, um, do you want to talk?"

My head turns to face her brightly colored form, hovering nervously beside me. I consider her offer.

"Sure. Just, not here. Follow me?"

She nods and I notice her feathers bobbing with her head. They're so pretty, and I suddenly wish that mine weren't a boring white. A pang of jealousy resounds in my heart as I lead her to the highest part of the workshop, where the guys won't hear us below.

I take a seat on one of the large rafters, and Tooth does the same on one in front of me. Our legs dangle in the air, and I break my view of the Globe below to talk with Tooth.

"So..."

I'm not sure where to start. Or what she wants to talk about. She speaks up, though.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're ok. You did just face the Nightmare King, ya know."

I nod. That'a not all though. She's forgetting someone, and I speak up.

"And that dark version of Jack. He was... I don't know. He really got to me."

She looks even more concerned, her cerise eyes slightly narrowed, brows raised.

"What do you mean by that?"

I let out a breath, and decide that I should tell her. She could help me get over the feeling bottled up in my stomach.

"He said that I was just like him. And he was right. I almost killed him-"

"But you didn't, did you? You stopped yourself."

I feel ashamed and can't bring my eyes up to meet hers. My hands are suddenly very, very interesting.

"No. I didn't... Jack had to. I was so close. I just wish that he... I... I'm not sure. I don't know what I wanted to happen."

"_. Listen, ok sweety? You're not a killer. No matter what that dark Jack guy told you. You may think you would've killed him, but you couldn't have. You're too good. I know you wouldn't."

I wish she wouldn't defend me, because she's wrong. I was going to, I had every intention. The blade was coming down, and I wasn't planning on pulling it back.

The realization that I was on the edge of becoming a killer fully hits me. My eyes prick, and my nose runs a bit. My breathing hitches over and over and over until Tooth hovers over me, placing her hands on my shoulders and bringing me into a feathery hug. My lungs burn from trying to contain the crying, I don't want anyone to hear me.

I haven't broken down like this for years.

I quiet myself as best as I can, and Tooth sits herself beside me, holding me to her like a child who needs a mother. And I really do need mine.

I wipe my eyes on my wrists and my nose in a handkerchief that I form. I make it disappear when I'm done, and sit cross legged and broken on the rafter beside the Queen of the Fairies.

"I'm sorry about that. I just needed to let it out. It's been forever since I have."

"Don't be sorry about it. Everyone needs to cry. It's part of living, even if you're immortal."

She smiles sympathetically at me, then pats my back gently.

"You're going to be fine, _. I know everyone says this, but it takes time. And I'm sure once Jack wakes up, you'll feel much better."

I catch her wry smile as she says this. What's she implying? Does she know?

"What do you mean, Tooth?"

"Pssh, YOU know what I'm talking about."

My cheeks blush at her accusation.

"I can tell you care about him. And he cares about you."

I can't help but smile. I want to tell her what happened.

"He, um, well... After he saved me, I mean, from dark Jack..."

"What? What'd he do? Come on, spill!"

I laugh nervously, my eyes darting around ashamed.

"He kissed me."

Her mouth makes an "o" shape, and her hands fly up to her face to cover her surprise. The feathers of her brow shoot up and her eyes widen. I'm not sure what her next words will be.

"Oh my gosh."

I clear my throat nervously, waiting.

"THAT'S ADORABLE!"

I throw my hands up and clamp them over her mouth.

"SHHHH! Are you crazy?!"

Her eyes sparkle at me above my hands, and I drop them. When she speaks again, she's much quieter.

"But you and him, I totally saw it coming. From day one, when he brought you to meet us."

My blush returns.

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes. You're so lucky! I used to have a crush on him myself a while ago."

She sees my surprised expression and continues.

"But not anymore, relax. I, um..."

My eyebrows raise in curiosity.

"You, um, what Tooth?"

She smiles down at the workshop below, and I follow her gaze to Bunny. He stands tall beside North and Sandy, the three still talking and drinking something steaming.

And then I know.

"Oh my gosh. TOOTH!"

Then it's her turn to slap her hand onto my mouth to silence me.

I pry it off, and continue quietly.

"Bunny? I shoulda known!"

She crosses her arms and looks dramatically away from me.

"Yes, Bunny."

Then she snaps her head back to face me.

"But you can't tell ANYONE! Ever!"

"Ok, ok. Fine. As long as you don't tell anyone that Jack and I kissed."

She lets out a sigh, then offers me her hand. I shake it and we end up laughing.

"I don't understand how you got me from crying like a baby to laughing about your crush."

She smiles her white teeth at me kindly.

"Me neither. You know, you're kinda like... I dunno..."

"A sister?"

Another smile and a nod.

"Yes. A sister."

"Well, you're like one to me, too. Especially since I never had one."

"I was also an only child."

I smile at her, then kick my feet in the air after unfolding my legs. Wonder how Jack's doing. My eyes open wide.

"His staff! I never found it!"

I stand, and Tooth follows suit. She looks at me, nods, and we jump off the rafters together.

The yetis let us out the front door, since the window is already repaired. We make our way over to the snowy plain and I find Jack's silhouette in the snow. There is some blood, and I kick snow over it.

"I'll go left, you go right."

We fly up high above the ground and look down for the wooden staff. Nothing stands out in the snow, so I drop lower, swooping over the snow flurries. After several minutes of sweeping the area, I still come up empty handed.

"_! I found it!"

I find Tooth in the dim sky, and she holds the staff in one of her hands, pointing to the ground below her.

"It was right there. He must have dropped it immediately as he fell for it to land this far away. The wind might have taken it, too."

"Alright. Lets get this back to him. And thanks."

"No problem. But I'm sure your BOYFRIEND will be much more happy to see you than this."

She gestures to the staff, and flits away as I chase her back to the doors, yelling for her to shut her fairy mouth. She laughs the whole way.

**A/N : Please tell me what you think of this chapter! I tried throwing in something a little different as an experiment. Let me know if you want to hear more about Tooth's crush. :P**


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